This Vampire's Addiction
by Firey-Moonlight
Summary: YAOI RS LC AR ZD Vampire Lord Riku may have taken Sora as his new fledging, but Sora's connections to Roxas and Cloud might mean trouble for the vampires, as Leon and Zexion soon finds out
1. The stirrings of trouble

**I realized there were only a small number of yaoi vampire fics in the Kingdom Hearts fandom. So here's my attempt at one. Except for the plot, I do not own Kingdom Hearts and its characters. If I did, the Final Fantasy characters would play more dominant roles. **

**So far, current planned pairings are: **

**Riku and Sora**

**Leon and Cloud**

**Sephiroth and Cloud**

**Axel and Roxas**

**Zexion and Demyx**

**Zack and Aerith**

**Of course, I might add more later, but the above would most likely never change**

The night was cold, colder then it usually was. A full moon hung in the sky, and depending on a person's interpretation, it was beautiful, so large and bright, but also sinister in its unnatural glow. A woman walked alone in the quiet streets, murmuring to herself about how she hated her job at the bar. She was unaware of her surroundings, until a shadow fell over her.

Looking up, she saw above the stairs two figures standing in the moonlight. One had Red spiky hair, darkened by the moon's silver glow. The other had even more spikier hair, Golden in comparison. The red head nodded at its companion, and the blonde turned to the woman. He parted his lips, and a pair of sharp fangs gleamed down at her.

The streets echoed the woman's horrified scream.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

_My name is Sora, strange name I know, when I was younger people used to mock me for it. I have a twin brother named Roxas, but we haven't seen each other for years. At this moment, I am living with my cousin, on my father's side. His name is Demyx, and despite his carefree living, he cares deeply for me. Besides Roxas, he is the only relative I have left._

Sora smiled as he watched Demyx on the platform in the café. Despite the lowered head and closed eyes, Demyx might as well have seen Sora's smile, for he looked at Sora and returned it. His fingers continued on the piano, playing a melody that was soft and yet uplifting. A melody that sympathizes with a listener's pain, but at the same time encouraged them to go on with life.

Demyx had always been a musician, and he played several instruments, his favourite the sitar. At home, Sora heard him play it several times, and it never ceased to bore him. Demyx was somewhat lazy, overly dramatic, but when it came to music he could give a different perspective to his being. He could play all kinds of music, and for Sora, they could be a wacky song made off the top of his head to make Sora laugh, or soft and comforting when Sora was upset.

Here, though, the owner of the café preferred him playing the electric piano their last musician had left after he quit the job. Demyx took it all in stride, adapting to the piano like a bird adapting to flight in a foreign area – made no difference, he was still good at it.

_Do not take him away as well, I've lost contact with my brother, and the last cousin I lived with is dead. After him I met Demyx, and he understands my desire to meet my brother. That's why we've moved here, where Roxas is supposed to be. Unfortunately, nobody seems to know him, we've been here in Traverse Town for almost a year now and no trace of him at all. _

A glass of….something cheerful and with three different colours appeared in front of him. Sora looked up and Namine smiled at him "my treat," she said. "The café's about to, ah, close soon. Tifa's about to come down and take over, will you be staying?"

"Why not? I'll help." He finished the drink at the same time the tunes of the electric piano fade away. Already most of the customers were gone, and when Tifa arrived, the employees – along with Sora and Demyx – began moving the furniture. In half an hour, the café was transformed to a bar-nightclub instead. As Sora helped Tifa with the last minute touches, he noticed one of her employees was missing. "Tifa? Where's Kelly?"

"Kelly?" Tifa frowned and looked over her shoulder. A quick glance at her employees told her the girl wasn't there "I don't know, maybe she's just late. She's always been like that, I'm thinking of firing her soon. Even you're more useful then she is." Sora said nothing, but he silently agreed with her. Kelly also had an attitude that Sora didn't like, and secretly he'd been hoping that she'll be gone soon.

It wasn't long before the cleared floor was full with dancing bodies, and the ceilings were filled with flashing lights. Marluxia and Larxene, two of the regulars, had come and dragged Demyx away already, and Tifa was busy with her job. Sora didn't mind, from the very first day he'd met Demyx, he had been introduced to Marluxia and Larxene. The two were Demyx's childhood friends, and according to Demyx they liked to drag him out once a month to 'somewhere boring but necessary'. Sora highly doubted that, since Demyx often came back from them tired and less cheerful. He knew Marluxia and Larxene were not the ones to blame, since besides those times the three of them got along very well, but because they constantly refused to tell him what happened, he only had those two to blame.

_Let it not be that he's keeping something important secret from me. Paper cannot wrap fire up; sooner or later it'll get burned, and the fire will only spread._

In his mind, he could see it; burning houses and blackened bodies, all because of secrets being revealed.

_It will not happen again._

Traverse Town was a place of eternal night. Day usually meant a lesser-dark sky with one sole brighter star to substitute as the sun. Night was when the sky became rich in darkness with a scattering of stars, made faint because of the city's lights. The place was named Traverse Town simply to keep its history, by now it was no longer a town, but a city teeming with people and lights. The humans accepted the area as a place without day, and celebrated the nightlife daily. The supernatural, on the other hand, saw this place as paradise, and it should have been overrun if not for the vampires that had long claimed the town as their own, fiercely opposing invaders unless they were given permission by the Vampire Lord.

Anyone who went against this was viciously slaughtered. Vampires, especially rulers, were very territorial creatures.

Unfortunately, there were always those that could remain undetected.

A figure stood perched on the tip of a clock tower. His arms were folded over his chest, and his face lifted up to the full moon. Silver hair framed his face, flickering over his face and neck. His companion, also a person with silver hair, stood below at the edge of the roof to his left. His arms were also crossed, but his head was bowed down, probably showing his respect to his superior. The two were silent, deep in their own thoughts, but the presence of another alerted them. The newcomer appeared behind the two and bowed. "Lord Riku, I bring news."

The first silver-haired figure lowered his head from looking at the moon. His eyes fell on his city, and replied "Go on, Leon, you know you can tell Zexion here anything as well." The second silver-haired figure lifted his head up, showing he was listening.

"We've found another vampire victim; the marks on the victim's necks do not match any of our vampires, but it matches Number Three." Riku allowed a frown to mar his flawless features. Another victim of unwelcome vampires, recently there had been reports of foreign vampires feeding in his city, without his knowledge or permission. Unlike with his vampires, these newcomers made no effort to cover up their tracks. The victims were often drained completely of their blood and left on the streets.

By hacking into the human police's files, there were apparently seven such newcomers. When Riku first heard of the incidents, he'd believed it had been his own vampires slacking off or not teaching the fledglings well enough. The police reports changed all of that. The marks they've got off the victims did not fit any of Riku's vampires. This worried Riku, undetectable vampires usually meant powerful, and the idea of seven of them running about in his city was unnerving. Those were usually a sign for a coup and overthrow of a Vampire Lord. He also worried that there might be more, because now deaths that seemed even slightly suspicious with the supernatural seemed to hint at more trouble then he needed. He'd passed the order that they be caught or killed, and numbered them according to when they first appeared.

"Where was the victim found?" He asked, but by now he could guess the area.

"Similar to almost all of Number Three's victims, she was found in the Midgar section." Leon's voice was neutral, but Riku sensed the frustration. Out of all of the newcomers, Number Three should've been the easiest to catch; the newcomer concentrated the victims on the Midgar section of the city, but despite increased patrolling, nobody could catch the vampire. Leon apparently thought so too, as he himself had focused on the area for a while, but almost as soon as he got involved, the number of victims stopped. They reappeared again almost right after Leon decided to go back to watching the whole city instead of focusing simply on one area.

After that, Leon grew quite convinced that there was a traitor in their ranks, despite them later figuring out that the reason were because of three mercenary-fairies up to their jobs again. As usual, the three of them refused to tell them 'confidential information about the client'.

"Have you looked into the scene yet?" Riku asked.

"No, my Lord."

"Then you may do so now, Zexion, would you mind accompanying him? As the most powerful werewolf here you might find out something we could possibly miss."

"Of course not, Riku." Zexion was about the only person who could call Riku by his name without adding a 'lord' in front of him. Riku may be ruler of the vampires here, but Zexion was the head of his clan of werewolves. The city, however, was under vampire rule, and in terms of legal power Riku had more of it. According to rumors, Riku once saved Zexion's life, causing Zexion to accept Riku as his superior. The almost easy way he had done it despite his seemingly cold and proud attitude had caused suspicion that Zexion once followed a leader, but Zexion had lost his memories prior to Riku's rescue, so no one would ever know. Afterwards, Zexion grew powerful enough to have his own clan, and a peaceful co-existence with the vampires came into being. Zexion didn't let power get into his head though, and still obeyed the orders Riku gave him.

So it was with that in mind that Zexion and Leon obeyed Riku's orders and leaped down the tower, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, heading to the crime scene. As they approached the scene, Zexion spoke up.

"Riku should be old enough to consider a fledging soon, has he selected a candidate yet?"

"He had his eye on several, but lately he's been telling me to watch a certain one. I am unsure whether the boy would be a good choice though, I sense his power, but I'm not sure whether he would be willing to become a vampire. He's too attached to his family."

"That's not like Riku, last time I checked, he wouldn't force his way unless he thinks it was absolutely necessary."

"Who knows, but Lord Riku must have his own reasons."

"Of course…" A sudden scream interrupted Zexion's sentence. Startled, the two skidded to a halt. Both of them exchanged looks, and Leon jumped down to the street. He hurried towards the source of noise, but had gone no more then a few steps before he ran into someone. On instinct, his hand shot out to support the person

"Excuse…" his voice stopped short at the pair of emerald green eyes that greeted him. With surprising strength considering Leon's normally iron-like grip, the stranger pulled her hand out of his grasp and ran off. Leon stared after her in shock, his mind recognizing her. Then he noticed something red on the collar of his shirt. "Lipstick…?" He whispered softly, in his memory she never wore lipstick, only lip gloss.

"Leon!" Zexion's voice brought him back to reality. Zexion never yelled unless something was seriously wrong. Leon turned to look at what Zexion was now standing in front of.

It happened to be a human male, lying against the wall. From the side of his neck were two small holes with tiny trials of blood leaking down. Between the two holes were slight marks of shorter, but still deadly sharp teeth. By now, Leon had seen the police files and enough victims' necks to identify the teeth marks at the top of his head.

"Number Seven!" He roared, he whirled around and ran after the woman. Zexion was behind him in a few seconds, Leon's eyes flickered to the red on his shirt.

_This isn't lipstick, she never wore lipstick! _He thought angrily. _No, this is the victim's blood! _

"Can you smell her?" He demanded his partner. Zexion glared at him.

"I didn't even notice her smell!" Leon gritted his teeth. Using his telepathy, he mentally touched all of their vampire kin. _Attention all supernatural beings, Undefined Vampire Number Seven has been glimpsed. Suspect is female, dressed in pink, with green eyes and brown hair, last seen on Hill Street, possibly heading to Midgar area. _He paused, then quickly added _Capture her alive and if possible unharmed. _

He turned a corner and crossed the street. As soon as he crossed, the streetlight switched to green, and he heard Zexion force himself to halt as the cars started driving between them. Mentally he cursed, the street had humans scattered around that would no doubt see him if he tried using his powers. The woman had picked a good place to run through. He glanced around, unsure where she could have gone. That was, until a voice came to his mind.

_Commander, suspect sighted on Plate Street. She ran as soon as I tried to approach her. I cannot sense where she went._

_A vampire capable of hiding herself from another supernatural being hints at power, especially since you are our Medium. Keep looking, Tidus. _He hurried towards an alleyway and jumped up to a rooftop. Leaping from one to another, he soon arrived to the street, and with his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of pink turning a corner. He jumped off the roof and ran after her, turned the corner, and stopped.

Seventh Heaven stared down at him with flashing, colourful lights. Wide open doors allowed him to see what was going on inside, and the large number of people within it. He hesitated, unsure, before Tidus suddenly ran up beside him.

"She went in here?" Tidus asked, and without waiting for an answer he went inside. Seeing no other choice, Leon entered as well.

Music played loudly around them, and the flashing lights irritated Leon. His eyes scanned the crowd, but even with vampire sight he could not see where the woman had gone. Come to think of it, why had she run here? In his memory, she would never have gone to places like this. Nightclubs, bars? He clenched his fists, _why, Aerith? _

"I'm guessing you couldn't catch her," Riku was suddenly beside him, and Leon nodded. Among humans, too much bowing would cause attention. Leon noted that Riku being here showed how determined he was to catch the unwanted newcomers, and he felt a twinge of irritation again for having been so close to catching one of them, and then letting her escape.

Actually, his mind was still reeling in the aftershock of having seen Aerith as one of them. In a rare desire to help someone, he wished it was he who _had_ caught her. He would never hurt her, but others won't say the same. He scanned the area again, and although he didn't see her, he noticed someone else. Gesturing to Riku, he nodded to one of the tables, where a certain boy was sitting at. A smirk came on Riku's face "Sora…"

Indeed, the most likely candidate for Riku's fledging, Sora, was sitting alone on a table. Leon's scan of the crowd earlier told him that Sora's guardian, Demyx, was missing today. Seeing Riku's smirk, Leon knew it was probably going to be Demyx's greatest mistake in life. As Riku moved forward, Tidus turned to Leon "I'm guessing that Sora is the Sora he's been watching for almost a year now?" At Leon's nod, Tidus sighed "He's going to turn him now, isn't he?" Leon said nothing, but they both knew the answer. Tidus shook his head, and the two of them left the bar.

Sora was sitting alone at a table, watching the dancers on the floor, when someone slipped beside him. Glancing up, he saw it was another boy, with silver hair and bright aqua eyes. The boy smiled charmingly, but by now Sora knew never to trust that kind of smile. In this world of bars and nightclubs, there were few meanings behind such a smile.

"Want to dance?" The beautiful stranger asked. Sora raised an eyebrow, and the words that he often heard around him came out from his lips easily.

"Nu-uh, not until you buy me a drink." He mentally hit himself, despite all the times he's been asked by strangers Sora had often refused. Tifa had warned him before of people bringing drugs in and slipping them in drinks, such words were an invitation. The stranger's good looks must have got into him. Luckily, when the drink came, it was Tifa who served him. Knowing Tifa would keep an eye on any drinks offered to him, he took it easily. Once the drink was empty, Sora allowed the stranger to pull him up from his chair and to the dance floor.

When he looked at the stranger's eyes, he felt his problems wash away quickly. He allowed those hands to wrap around him and pull him close, and despite his mind telling him he should go before things got ugly, those aqua eyes seem to lure him into a sense of security. He felt slightly dizzy, warm, comfortable, and he allowed his face to rest by Riku's neck. Nothing mattered, nothing except this stranger in front of him, with stylish silver hair and beautiful aqua eyes.

Something was wrong, this shouldn't be happening. If Sora had been this easily swayed by looks, he would've been more open about things like relationships and sex. He wasn't like that at all, so why was he allowing this stranger to approach him so easily? He pulled back and looked up at the stranger "who…are you?"

"My name is Riku," the stranger's smooth voice had Sora weak on his knees again. If Riku wasn't holding him so possessively, he would've sunk to the floor. Still, though, his mind told him to stop. He could see himself, walking away smoothly through the crowd, ignoring the looks and touches people gave him.

Wait a minute.

He _was_ looking at himself walking away. Over Riku's shoulder, he saw himself walk through the crowd and towards the exit. That Sora he was watching, though, was wearing clothes he never wore before, and the spiky hair was shorter.

"Roxas…" he whispered, then louder "Roxas!" Pulling away from Riku's grasp, Sora tried to run after the boy, but he felt his elbow being held back. Roxas paused, turned around, and indeed Sora knew it must be his brother. Despite differences in clothing and hair, their faces were the exact same. Roxas, however, didn't see him. He looked around for a while, an almost confused expression on his face, but upon seeing no one he recognized turned back towards the exit. Sora tried to run after him, but the grip on his elbow was still hard. He looked at Riku, about to demand his release, but once he was graced with those aqua eyes he felt himself go weak again.

"Stay with me, Sora" the tone had taken a more commanding tone. Sora nodded, almost dreamingly, but a flash of Demyx came back to him. He remembered he himself once asked Demyx the same thing, after he was still traumatized about the death of the former cousin he had been living with. The idea of abandoning Demyx for some stranger made him angry at himself for dare entertaining such thoughts.

"No…" he whispered, and wretched his arm away. He turned around and ran towards where he had last seen Roxas. Rushing outside, he stopped when he saw no trace of him, again. Before he could take a guess at where Roxas could have gone, he was suddenly shoved into an alleyway.

Sora stumbled in, and held out his hands to prevent a collision with the wall. He turned himself around and saw Riku again, this time there was an irritated look on the boy's face. "You are no doubt one of the more stubborn humans I have met. I've clearly underestimated your power, but that doesn't mean I won't have you." Sora's eyes narrowed, whatever charm those aqua eyes once held was gone. Now he could stare into those eyes and loathe them. His body tensed as Riku approached him, Tifa had taught him some self-defense tricks, and he was more then willing to use it against this stranger. He prepared himself as the stranger got closer.

Sora didn't expect what Riku did next. One moment he was a good several feet from him, the next he flickered out of sight and was suddenly in front of him. Sora's hands were pinned against the wall, and he felt teeth rip apart the collar of his shirt. Without warning, the horror movies he had seen before came rushing into his mind as he felt something sharp sink into his neck. He screamed.

_This isn't happening oh gods no vampires don't exist they're not real it hurts it hurts why is this happening to me I'm going to die please no Demyx please help me please why isn't anyone hearing my screams it hurts please Demyx help me please it hurts no no no do not cry Tifa always told you not to cry but gods it hurts _

His mind whirled and he felt himself become dizzy as the blood loss soon got to him, his body went limp in Riku's arms. When the fangs finally withdraw, he left out a sigh of relief, even as he felt his life starting to fade away. His life flashed in his eyes quickly.

_Flash_

_You were a mistake! I never wanted a child!_

_All you do is cost us money! I wish you never existed! _

_Flash_

_The boy's parents is dead, he needs to be taken care of by one of use_

_No way, I have my own children_

_I refuse_

_Not me, my job is more important _

_Just give him to her, that woman already has a child, and she's not so important anyways _

_Flash_

_Hey! Stop beating on Sora! He's my cousin! _

_Ha, no wonder. You and this Sora shouldn't even be here!_

_Flash_

_The village has been completely destroyed, Sora_

_No, my aunt, my cousin…._

_No one survived, Sora. They're all dead. Rest for now, when you wake up, I will take care of you. _

_My name is Demyx, your cousin on your father's side. The cousin on your mother's side is now dead, but I am alive, and I will take care of you, protect you, just as he had._

_Flash_

_You are Demyx's cousin? Well kid, we just want to let you know we have him in custody_

_Why? _

_He is suspected of sending wild dogs out to a boy named Damien, do you know him?_

_Who doesn't, he was the bully! He got into fights all the time!_

_That still doesn't justify the amount of serious injuries he got last night; witnesses say that your cousin, along with his friends Marluxia and Larxene, has threatened to send the dogs after him. Besides, kid, this isn't the first time he's done it. _

_Sorry Sora, but hearing what that bastard has done to you, I couldn't just stand by. You're family, Sora, I'm not about to let someone like Damien walk over you. I said before I'll protect you. _

_Flash_

_Demyx!_

_Hey Sora! Ow, that hurts Larxene _

_Your own fault, Sora, could you take over from here? Demyx got himself hurt again_

_What happened? _

_Sora, please, I told you not to ask, its nothing you need to know_

The bittersweet smell of blood reached his nose; it came from Riku's wrist. Sora turned his face away; he'll rather die, instead of becoming a vampire and end up killing Demyx or someone else he cared for. "Sora, you must drink this," Riku's voice was becoming fainter and fainter, but still Sora refused.

"No…" His words were unnaturally soft now, and he felt sleepy. That was, until he felt nails dig into his skin again, and he let out a yelp. Riku took the opportunity to dip a few drops of blood into Sora's mouth. For Sora, the blood was sweet, and something his body needed desperately.

He launched himself on the bleeding arm and pressed his lips on the open wound. He heard Riku chuckling lightly, but all that mattered now was getting that sweet blood on his lips. Again in one night, he was ignoring all his problems and thoughts, the only thing that mattered was Riku.

Meanwhile, back in the Seventh Heaven, Tifa glanced around and saw no more of Riku's supporters hanging around. Making her way inside the storage, she opened the door and quickly closed it behind her. The silence in the room could've fooled anyone, but it could not fool Tifa "Aerith? Is that you?"

There was a rustling of cloth, and another woman stepped into view. Tifa allowed a smile to greet her friend, Aerith Gainsborough. The pink-clad girl retuned the smile, green eyes bright with mirth "how did you know it was me?"

"When I approached the store room, it was scented like flowers. While many would think it was some room spray or perfume I put on, it's a dead giveaway to the people who know you." Aerith shook her head as she smoothed her dress more. "I guess I was in too much of a hurry. I disguised my scent with flowers, but I ought to remember for those that know me the flowers _are_ my scent. Still, it succeeded in distracting my pursuers. That werewolf, Zexion, didn't notice my smell mostly because his nose was temporarily overwhelmed by the scent of flowers."

"Zexion? You nearly got caught by _Zexion_?"

"_And_ the vampire commander Leon as well."

"Wait, didn't you tell me once that the two of you used to know each other?"

"Yea," Aerith grimaced. "That was years ago though, now, he's commander of a vampire clan, and I happen to be someone invading his territory. Leon would probably attack me first and ask questions later." Noticing the worry creeping into Tifa's chocolate eyes, Aerith laughed "don't worry; he won't be able to catch me so easily. He may not know it, but _you_ know what kind of vampire I've become. The fact that he and his allies haven't been able to catch us is proof we've still some steps in front of him." Aerith's mirth faded when she spoke her next words "Sephiroth, after all, knows what he's doing."

The two of them fell into a silence, typical whenever the name was brought up. Despite how long it had been, Aerith and Tifa could never forgive what Sephiroth had done. As usual when the name was brought up, Tifa asked the next name "How is Cloud?"

"He's fine, or at least as fine as he could be. He fed last night, one guess on who his victim was." Tifa's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me, Kelly?"

"I believe that's her name." Aerith didn't need to elaborate further, because it was so vague the police and Riku's vampires didn't notice it, but aside from being in the Midgar section there was another relation to all of Cloud's victims. All victims, usually in some degree or another, were people that Tifa didn't like or hated. Kelly was a pretty mild case; Tifa simply had some problems getting along with her. In some other cases, people that had given Tifa trouble or had offended her quickly became one of Cloud's victims. Recently, nobody had been giving her trouble, so she guessed that was why Cloud chose to pick of some of the lesser-worth victims when he needed to feed.

"Tifa, may I use the phone?" Aerith asked, and Tifa nodded. While Aerith busied herself with the phone, Tifa went back out to the bar. Once behind the counter again, a young man slid to the seat in front of her.

"You look worried again, Tifa. Trouble with Riku's vampires, or Sephiroth's, yo?" The red haired man smirked. Tifa handed him the usual.

"Both, yo, one of Sephiroth's nearly got caught by one of Riku's top dogs." She titled her head to the side and regarded him thoughtfully "I'm hoping this doesn't go back to Sephiroth."

"Hell no!" Reno laughed, "Me, give that guy information? Not a chance, Tifa, not a chance, neh, Axel?" A second redhead sat down beside him, Axel. Tifa smiled at the two as she also gave him his usual, and the two redheads grasped their drinks at the same time, but with different hands – Axel with his right hand while Reno with his left.

Mirror Twins. Those two looked and acted alike, both had long spiky red hair and electric-green eyes, with the cocky attitude that had gotten them into trouble several times. The scars that Reno had received in the past were also copied by Axel, and the two of them had switched identities several times 'for the hell of it'. In a quick glance, the only way you could tell who was who was by looking at their hairstyle – Reno's hair was slightly tamer, and despite the spikes he was able to smooth it into a ponytail. Axel left his hair as it was – long and spiky. For the more observant viewer, another thing was that Axel was right handed, and Reno a lefty.

Tifa, however, knew there was also one major difference between the two of them. One was a slayer, and the other was, simply put, pure danger.

Back inside the interior, hiding from the outside crowd, Aerith leaned against the wall with the phone in her hand. A shadow was cast over her face, and she was so silent it was as if she wasn't breathing. At the moment, the voice on the phone had her attention.

"Sister, can you think of my position in all of this?" The light, almost carefree tone already hinted at the insanity often heard in the speaker's voice. Aerith could imagine him smiling as he spoke to her, a curtain of silver hair over his face, but luckily it would not be mocking or promising pain, as she had seen all too often.

"I'm sorry, Kadaj, but I couldn't contact Cloud or Zack."

"I know, brother and Zack would no doubt be your first choices, but you didn't contact Him."

"I try not to disturb Sephiroth as much."

"Wonderful words to disguise your meaning, sister. No matter, nearly being caught by Commander Leon and Head Zexion, I understand why you're upset. I won't be able to leave at the moment without alerting the others, but, ah, brother just arrived. I'll tell him to come get you."

"Thank you, Kadaj"

"Goodbye, sister." Aerith hung up and stepped out, a scan of the crowd told her Leon and Zexion was gone, but when she tried stepping out of the bar she saw Riku with another boy instead, and she hurriedly withdrew back. She caught sight of the boy's struggling, and something akin to pity stirred inside her. She viciously squashed the thought, knowing that it would only hurt her if she dwelled too much on it.

The moon glowed silver in the dark sky, and somewhere a werewolf howled. Aerith flinched, full moon tonight, the werewolves would be more active then usual. With luck, she won't run into any of them, Tifa was the only former comrade that knew what she had become. The last thing she needed was to run into Yuffie or Cid, as those two werewolves would see her as a trespasser no matter what their history had been.

**The scene with Leon and Aerith was inspired by the anime Yami no Matsuei AKA Descendents of Darkness. Yaoi anime, but unlike Gravitation it deals with the supernatural. **

**I'm not sure about Axel since he seems capable of using both arms for his chakrams, but in the Final Fantasy VII picture of President Rufus and his Turks, Reno's weapon was in his left hand. So I'm assuming he's left handed.**

**Ever notice that Kadaj would call Loz and Yazoo with their names, but refer to Cloud only as 'brother', and he never says Sephiroth's name out loud, only as 'him'. Since he also called Aerith his 'mother' once, I just decided to change it to 'sister' instead. As for Zack, assuming he was more of a successful experiment, Kadaj deems him alright to call by name. That and referring to two people as brother might cause some confusion. **


	2. Cracks in Unity

**To my reviewers, THANK YOU! I haven't written a story for a long while (Advanced, Enriched, and IB programs make all the English classes solely essays, analysis and comparison) and knowing that people read them and reviewed makes me very happy. **

**I wrote the disclaimer in the first chapter already, and have no intention to repeating myself. **

"_Look, Sora" Sora was laying on his back on the grass. At his cousin's words, he looked beside him, where his cousin sitting up. He sat up, looking at where his brother was looking at. To his horror, a large wolf stood there. Behind it were two more, slightly smaller, but still intimidating. Sora grabbed his cousin's arm, trying to resist the urge to start screaming or running. His cousin laughed. _

"_Don't worry, they won't attack us, they're friends." He whistled, and held out his hand. The wolves paused, and then the biggest one stepped forward. Sora's grip on his cousin tightened, but his cousin didn't move. The wolf approached them, stopping in front of the outstretched hand. He sniffed it warily, but it apparently passed the test, for the wolf began nuzzling it. Sora stared with wide eyes as his cousin started scratching the wolf's ears. _

"_See, no harm done. Go ahead, Sora, start slowly though." Sora remained staring at the large wolf as it settled down in front of his cousin. Seeing it do so, the other wolves began to approach them. To Sora's surprise, a pup came trotting forward in curiosity. It sniffed Sora for a few seconds before pouncing playfully at him. Sora laughed in delight, his fear completely forgotten, as one of the larger wolves licked his face. _

"_On second thought, the wolves just seem to like you." His cousin laughed again, "You see, Sora, even if we don't have friends in the village, it's not the only place to make friends. The world is a very large place, and even in the darkest times, as long as you have done nothing wrong, you'll find a friend." _

_But you're wrong, _Sora thought, staring at the black silk sheets underneath him. _I bet you never thought of something like this happening. I bet you never knew vampires existed and if you did, you could never give me any new advice. Because you're dead, and I am too, except I've become some sort of monster, while you're probably ash and cinders without a proper burial. _

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Despite it being a city, the howling of wolves was frequently heard in the night. The humans contributed it to the geographical location of their city. They were surrounded by grassy fields before the thick forests began. Said forests were large, dense, and thick, with sightings of wild animals common.

If only it was as simple as that.

A deer ran among the trees, eyes wide and panicking. Behind it, several large wolves gave chase, growling and snapping their jaws. The chase didn't last long, soon one of them pounced, and the rest followed. In a moment, the dear was dead, and several wolves surrounded their food, stripping the meat off with their teeth. Some of the other ones who have already eaten their share stood at the side, watching or resting.

Zexion stepped forward in the scene, and immediately all the wolves' attention went to him. One of them, a fit and slighter smaller female, shifted form and adopted a human form. Fingers brushed the dirt off raven black hair, and bright eyes regarded their leader. Yuffie was always the first werewolf to revert to human form whenever he came for them "Hello Zexy!" Behind her, one of the wolves choked, and another struggled to remain still. The rest of them ignored it, used to the girl's nicknames and also having much more respect for their leader. The next werewolf to transform was Raijin, commonly known as Rai. Muscular and tanned arms stretched while he addressed the werewolf Head.

"No sight of the undefined vampire, though we can't really see if we're busy hunting, ya know."

"Nor did we smell anything off!" Zexion was about to comment on that, but he smelled something else.

"Revert back to your wolverine forms or hide immediately, I smell some humans approaching." As the words left his lips, the wolves heard the trampling of footsteps, made by humans who were climbing up some of the more hilly areas of the forest. Yuffie and Raijin quickly shifted to their animal forms, while Zexion jumped up onto a nearby tree branch. As well as hiding him with the leaves, the tree provided a view of the three approaching humans.

All three appeared to be in a rather light mood. They were struggling with the terrain, but were still talking cheerfully. The first figure was a female, with almost short angelic blond hair. She appeared to be snickering at the trouble their last member was having. The second human, a male with wavy light brown hair, appeared to be telling their last member to quiet down. The third and last member was loudly complaining about the walk, as well as other things.

"No way am I walking here again! Why can't we just take a ride or something? And why is it that _we_ have to be the ones delivering the message?"

"Demyx, if you put less effort into talking and more into walking, you won't be having as much trouble."

"Yea, yea, its still tiring! Look, there's nobody here right? Maybe we could…."

"No, that's what happened to Vexen, he got caught."

"Larxene, Marluxia, you just want to keep me away from Sora don't you?"

Zexion watched the three of them came closer in the view. Yes, indeed the Demyx that was approaching was the one that was the current guardian of Sora. While Riku had been observing the humans for a fledging, Zexion was looking for another addition in his werewolf ranks, and almost on accident his eyes fell on Demyx. The human probably knew he wanted him, but other then a smile he had given no real reaction. After all, they saw each other in the Seventh Heaven Cafe. Café meaning it was supposedly day and Demyx was playing the electric piano, before it would be cleared off for the night of clubbing. They never saw each other face to face again, and Demyx had probably forgotten him, but Zexion had been drawn already. His mind was already considering him.

Zexion, however, was not Riku, and could wait much longer before deciding whether Demyx was worth the while or not. He didn't bother watching him intently yet or sending somebody to observe him like Riku had done. He was also more patient, and willing to start slow if he indeed decided to bring Demyx in his ranks. Another trait of his was that he tend to manipulate his prey to come to him, rather then be the one initiating anything. That was why almost all his werewolves were so loyal to him, they themselves seemingly made the choice to follow him.

So he was manipulator, schemer, player, or plotter, it was effective in keeping control. Luring Demyx, from what he had seen, should not be too difficult.

His two friends, on the other hand….

Marluxia and Larxene appeared friendly enough, but there was something distinctly off about them. Despite their supposedly human scents, at times there was something else lingering there. As if something was accompanying their scent, something that wasn't normal on a human. He had followed them for a while, trying to see whether he could figure out anything, but it proved fruitless. Occasionally too, another's scent lingered on them, and though it took a while he soon realized the scent was vaguely familiar.

Since he knew he had never smelled it before since entering Riku's services, he knew it must be something from his forgotten past. The idea unnerved him.

More so was the fact that Larxene seemed to _know_ he was there, watching them. Occasionally her comments seem to be directed at him, and she would warn Demyx about possible stalkers in the city. It annoyed him too, how closely Demyx associated himself with them, and how their opinion was held in high regard. Zexion knew if he came up to Demyx, and the other two decided they didn't like him, they would easily drip poison in Demyx's ears and Zexion could forget about getting close to him. Thus robbing him any chance to manipulate the human to his side, but then again interfering humans had never been a large problem before….

Yuffie watched as a strange gleam enter Zexion's eyes, and she turned to her closest companion "I wonder what our leader's thoughts are, to get that expression on his often neutral face. Would they be something grand? Or would it be horribly gruesome?"

Her companion, a female by the name of Shera, shook her head. "His thoughts are grand," she said "and knowing him, it wouldn't be gruesome. That, unfortunately, does not mean it would be pleasant."

Several miles away from them, closer to the outskirts of Traverse Town where the eternal night sky just reached the area of sunlight, where it was always eternal sunset or sunrise, there was a street of large mansions. These mansions usually belonged to the rich or upper-middle class. The one occupying the direct northern area of Traverse Town was no exception. Rather, by all appearances it was the same as the others. It was large, well kept, and just screamed money like all those surrounding it. The owners of the mansion were pretty well-to-do, despite their differences in job. Yet it was also the owners of the house that were much different then their neighbors, as well as difference in job, their differences in attitude and handling of affairs was about to come to a clash.

Aerith knew that despite what Kadaj would say, Sephiroth would somehow know what happened. As it was, when he ordered a meeting she, like almost the all the rest of them, knew someone was in trouble, namely her.

After all, she nearly got caught by the vampire commander and head werewolf, the fact that the Vampire Lord actually got himself involved was also something that would anger Sephiroth. When Cloud came to pick her up, she knew he was upset as well, and it would be another reason for him to brood about for several weeks. His grip was slightly harder then normal when he helped her on his motorcycle, and the ride back to the mansion was silent. She could understand why he would be worried, the last time someone had a confrontation with Sephiroth, the result had not been pretty. That had been a while back, before they came to Traverse Town.

Still, Loz had never defied Sephiroth's orders again.

It wasn't till they arrived at the mansion and parked Fenrir did Cloud spoke up "Sephiroth is really angry," he said. "I don't think I've sense this much anger in him for a long while. When he called for me, the command was harsh enough to send me reeling back. He wants to bring you down to the basement." That was not good, the basement was more like a torture room then anything. Zack once told her he worried that Sephiroth was having some sick kick out of putting a torture room at their newest home. Kadaj had only laughed, but Yazoo had commented how it also looked like some sort of lab, and Loz had been upset with the idea of having another lab nearby. Cloud, too, had openly protested against the idea, but what Sephiroth wanted, Sephiroth got, and Sephiroth wanted to install some sort of torture-lab in the basement.

With the exception of Kadaj, Sephiroth was the only one who ever went down there frequently. The rest of them avoided even mentioning the basement. Trying to think that it didn't exist proved difficult though, Sephiroth and Kadaj had brought some of their human prey down there, and though faint, their vampiric hearing picked up the screams coming from below. Kadaj thought the whole thing was funny, and although Yazoo had said nothing Aerith caught him smiling about it several times. Loz took the whole thing in stride once he got used to the screaming, and Zack attempted the same.

That had changed when Sephiroth once called him down the lab. The rest of them were told to stay out, and when Zack finally came back out, he was definitely paler then he should be. He refused to go out to feed, and when Aerith tried bringing blood to him he quickly threw up. When it happened the third night, Cloud and Aerith promptly force-fed him blood and made sure it stayed down, helped by Yazoo and Loz. Kadaj spent the whole time laughing and telling Loz "you're next!" In a cruel sense of timing, the next night Sephiroth ordered Loz down, and Loz came up shaken, though still willing to drink blood, except more then usual. Yazoo was the next one to go down, and he was the only one who came back normal. Kadaj, who had self-proclaimed himself assistant and had been down with them, told Aerith she _really_ didn't want to know what they were doing down there. The idea was tested when Cloud went down; he came back up with wide eyes and covered in blood that definitely wasn't his. Sephiroth had come up behind him, shaking his head and saying that 'it' had failed. After that, the human screams stopped. Whatever Sephiroth had been doing, Aerith was never involved, and the others refused to tell her what happened.

Now, Sephiroth was ordering her to go down there, not a good sign.

The fluttering of Cloud's navy-black cloak caught her attention **(Author's Notes: Cloud's in his Advent Children clothing, in others words Kingdom Hearts II)**, and she watched silently as he unlocked the door and stepped in. She followed silently as they walked down a corridor and opened a door she herself never had, revealing a stairway going down to another door. Silently Cloud stepped down, his boots' clunking a contrast to her own soft pair. Once down, Cloud gave her a warning look before opening the door for her, and when she stepped in, Cloud followed and closed the doors behind him.

One look at the place and she understood why the others felt ill. Sure, by all appearances it was a science lab, but Sephiroth wasn't kidding when he first announced his plan for a torture room. Some of the equipment simply looked like it was to tear off skin more then anything. Though the containers set on one wall were empty, she could see handprints planted on the glass surface. There was no trace of what living beings should have been brought here, but the handprints and teeth marks on some areas of the room proved otherwise. Gleaming knives of different sizes and shaped hung proudly on the walls. Other strange apparatuses were set on the shelves or set neatly at the side of some tables. Though the equipment was clean, there was dried blood on the wall and floor. The circles they were dragged in showed only half hearted attempts were made to clean the mess up, and if the floor _was_ cleaned, what had the scene been like when it _hadn't _been? She felt sick.

"Aerith, over here" Cloud's voice was soft, and she turned to where he now stood. At one side of the room was a large desk, where Sephiroth now sat behind, expression calm as always, with gleaming green eyes and long silver hair. To the left of his desk were Zack and Loz. Zack looked ill just being in the lab, his dark hair made his skin look paler then ever, his lavender eyes however showed he was ignoring his unease as they only looked at her in worry and concern. Loz's face was set in a thoughtful frown, but his green eyes and silver hair were same as usual. The same couldn't be said for Yazoo and Kadaj, who were to Sephiroth's right. Yazoo's gaze was smug, and Kadaj looked excited. Cloud stood in front of Sephiroth's desk, facing her with his back to their leader.

"You fool," Sephiroth's voice was soft, but the anger was there "how could you have let yourself nearly get caught by one of the vampires here? Do you seriously wish to die again so much? And supposedly rejoin the Lifestream? In the meantime, you'll get the rest of us to follow you, perhaps?"

"I don't…that's not true!" Aerith protested. The idea of having Zack and Cloud die because of her…

"Sephiroth, she would never mean to…." Zack began, but Sephiroth silenced him with a look.

"I'm not done with her, Zack" the silent order was there, do not speak. "She has to know that the situation is much different now then in comparison to the past. Her naivety in such matters as becoming the supposed monster she now deems herself as is an insult to the rest of us. Quite truthfully, I see no reason why she should be allowed the leniency you and Cloud have given her. All it does is spoil her and allow her to manipulate that vampire commander, Squall Leonhart, into finding out about us."

"Sephiroth…" Aerith breathed out, "What are you suggesting?" Sephiroth turned back to her.

"Did you seriously think that I know nothing about your dealings? Squall Leonhart, the man who chose vampirism over the acceptance of God, whom you so used to preach? The two of you knew each other in the past, and were quite close, if I remembered correctly. Interesting thing was, it wasn't long after Zack's death at the time."

"That's a LIE!" Aerith finally retaliated, her fangs bared and fingers clenched. "The two of us were never together! He already had a love!"

"But he, like you, lost her, his first love." Sephiroth continued, "It's normal in human nature. Both of you were upset, without your partners, hurt, and _ever_ so lonely…."

"Don't you dare talk about us like that!" Aerith argued, "What do you know? Nothing! Leon at the time was too upset to consider another love anyways, Rinoa was someone he cherished deeply and loved! Something _you_ could never do, you possessive psycho!"

"Sister," it was Yazoo who spoke this time "that's enough, insulting the favourite of Mother would not be a wise choice for either you or your situation." Aerith looked at him, Yazoo's head was tilted to the side, and his glowing green eyes were regarding her with contempt. Aerith, however, couldn't care by this point.

"Mother?" She repeated "you speak, Yazoo, as if that would hold power and fear over me. Mother? Jenova? Those words mean nothing to me. I, unlike you or Sephiroth, know who mother is. She is the one who gave birth to me, the one who blessed me a life. Something that this psycho here took away, and then brought back in tainted form!" Whoops, maybe she shouldn't have said that one. Besides insulting Jenova, Zack was in a similar situation as she was, and it something that Cloud found sensitive. She told him time and time again it was nothing, but just now she destroyed it all.

"Aerith," indeed, Cloud was the one speaking now. "Please, let us talk about this in a civilized manner without letting our tempers or emotions get in the way. We are here to discuss what we must do in regards to your near capture with your former friend. Whatever relationship you had with him, those things are of the past, by now he is an enemy, whether he is your former lover or not is of no matter."

Aerith looked at him before shaking her head "if you knew what I knew, Cloud, you wouldn't be saying that. Of course, it's near impossible for you to know, since Sephiroth's interference has no doubt sealed the deal you once made with him." Her eyes snapped back to Sephiroth "In fact, Sephiroth, I bet you're having the time of your life at this moment watching this. After all, _you're the one who took Cloud's memories away_!"

"Aerith!" Zack cried, but the damage had been done. Cloud's eyes widened and he stumbled back, reaching back to grasp the desk before he could fall against it. Kadaj sprang up to his feet, his double-bladed katana in his hand, fangs bared. Yazoo's hand quickly held the gun he specialized in, ready to use at any second, and Loz's Dual Hound was also on now, but despite the hostility presented Aerith didn't even flinch. If anything, the windows outside showed dark clouds gathering around the area, and the rumble of thunder signified an approaching storm. She, too, let out a hiss through her sharp fangs. The blood of her earlier victim gleamed red in the contrast of their white.

What could have erupted into a battle, though, was stopped by Sephiroth holding out his hand. He rose to his feet and walked around the desk to stand in front of Aerith, pushing Cloud behind him to sit down on the desk. Once in front of Aerith, he spoke, "that was mistake, girl, bringing that topic up. In exchange, let us bring another story up, something involving you and a red head." Aerith's eyes widened, her fangs disappeared and with it the possible storm outside.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Since arriving here in Traverse town, I looked up the supposed rulers to see whether there would be anyone of supposed interest."

"Sephiroth…"

"At first, I thought there was nothing wrong, but then I began looking at the werewolves."

"No…"

"Axel, a man who seems to have been involved in the werewolf clan simply only as a human…."

"Stop it, Sephiroth…."

"Who seems to bear appearances to a certain former red head we once knew…"

"Enough, Sephiroth!"

"He appeared to be pretty comfortable with you, and seems to be your confider in our affairs."

"That's not what I was doing! It's not what I'm doing!"

"Skilled just as the person we once knew…"

"Stop!"

"It is _such_ a coincidence that there are two people who are so alike, no? This Axel, and…."

"Sephiroth, please!"

"_A certain former enemy by the name of Reno_."

Aerith sank to her knees; she saw the horrified and disgusted looks on the rest of the vampires' faces. What a night, first she nearly got caught by the vampire commander and werewolf head, then she got herself down in this torture room, where she then proceeded to insult their supposed mother and Sephiroth, not to mention commit the taboo of mentioning Cloud's loss of memories due to Sephiroth's interference, and then got herself to look like a traitor to her the group. Oh yea, she also got her former friend, Leon, to appear as if he was hitting off with her at his girlfriend's death. What would Leon say if he knew…

The drawing of a sword made her look up, and she saw the end of the masamume pointing at her. Raising her eyes further still, she met Sephiroth's eyes with her own. "With this incident, you've proven more trouble then you're worth," he continued "I will not allow such vampires to be existing under my command." He raised his sword, almost in slow motion. This time, Aerith only watched the blade, and did nothing. A few minutes earlier she would, but now that Sephiroth had the others believing her to be a traitor there really was no point. The sword gleamed, and seemed to be singing for some blood. She drew in her last breath, bracing herself when the blade began to strike down…. "NO!"

Startled, she looked at the person who had shouted that at the last second, Cloud. The blade paused, just prickling her skin, as Sephiroth looked at Cloud as well. The blonde's head was lowered, and his fists were clenched, but his voice was strong "don't…don't kill her. Sephiroth, regard this as pure selfishness on my part if you wish, but please…do not kill her. If you hurt her…I'll fight you myself." The silence following that statement was thundering. A nervous laugh finally broke the silence.

"Well, Sephiroth, I think Cloud's made it quite clear he's against the idea of killing Aerith." Zack strode forward and pulled Aerith to her feet. "I'm pretty sure Aerith doesn't mean any harm. She wouldn't be so willing to turn traitor and try to kill all of us. Seph, just let her go this time." Zack was the only person who could get away with calling Sephiroth any nicknames. Despite that, and the light tone that Zack was using, Aerith felt his grip was harder then normal. Like Cloud, he didn't want her to die either, and his grip was showing the hesitation he had in letting her go. Determined lavender eyes stared back into gleaming cold green, and at last the masamume was withdrawn.

"Very well then," Sephiroth's words eased the tension in the room. "For your sake, and Cloud's, I'll let her live another day. However, I cannot allow her to just walk free; some punishment is still required for her to understand how serious this is. Therefore, you have two options. Option one, bring either that vampire commander or the werewolf head here, or Option two, kill one of your former comrades that are now on the other side and unsuspecting. This will prove that you will clean up your tracks for now, or that you will not allow past feelings to interfere with the present."

"That's…" Aerith couldn't believe her ears. Bring Leon to this torture room, to where Sephiroth and Kadaj will torture him to his death? Or kill one of her former comrades, people who were once very close friends with her? "That's a ridiculous choice!"

"Then you can spare us all this trouble, and kill yourself instead." Sephiroth replied "Besides, do you really think we could only relay on you to have the commander or werewolf head here? Or that we would not be able to kill your former friends? I'll show you, Jenova's children are not so easily cowed into staying in the shadows. In fact, let me prove to you right now that we don't need you to get to your supposed friends." Sephiroth walked towards the exit, sword at his side. Aerith knew he wasn't kidding; it would be very easy for him to kill all those dear to her.

"Fine!" She rushed forward in front of Sephiroth, blocking his way to the door. Sephiroth looked at her coolly.

"What is your choice?"

"I'll do it," Aerith's voice shook, and her figure trembled as she stared back at Sephiroth. There was no way she could kill her former comrades, they had saved her life before, which left only one option. "I'll bring either the commander or the werewolf here."

"You have two weeks."

After those words, although the peace and unity of the seven vampires – self-named Jenova's children – had been shaken, it was restored. Besides the once gathering storm, the street and neighbor houses all appeared to be as normal as ever, no one heard the shouting of the vampires because they were in the basement below ground level. If anything, the house had been quiet enough to claim the word 'silent' as a descriptive.

The same couldn't be said for one of the neighboring houses.

At a distance another supposed normal mansion stood. This mansion had high walls surrounding its property, the only way you could see inside was by the front gate. The odd thing was the usually large amount of water behind the walls. The owner of the place apparently decided that they liked water more then grass, and instead of gardens there was instead a man made lake. The only strip of land was where the mansion was stationed and a road linking it to the front gates. None of the neighbors complained about it, the walls isolated whatever problems such a setting could have caused. Passersbys only shook their heads as they glimpsed the lake, mildly commenting that the owners must be swimmers or obsessive about owning aqua pets.

The swimmers part was in some ways correct. Blitzball players do need to keep training. This was where Tidus and Wakka, along with the three fairies Yuna, Rikku, and Paine lived. The unsent warrior Auron dropped by to stay overnight now and then, but for the last few years had decreased his visits. Riku's vampires and Zexion's werewolves would occasionally drop by as well.

For now, the splashing of water seemed to be the only sound emitting from behind the walls, but if one actually knew what was happening, it was through careful cover that no worse sounds were heard.

When the search for Undefined Vampire Number Seven had proved fruitless, Tidus had returned home. Wakka and the fairies were absent, and there was no trace of Auron. Disappointed, and in a normal fit of carefree daring, Tidus had simply jumped into the water, clothes and all, to swim his frustration away.

Now, he sat perched on the tip of his rooftop, dripping wet as he was slacking off on going inside and changing. Pulling at the yellow shirt he wore underneath the dark blue **(Author's Note: Assume he's the Tidus from Final Fantasy X, not from Kingdom Hearts, in other words he's older and wears more elaborate clothing)**, he sighed as he reflected on what just happened, all in a negative aspect.

"How could I have been so unlucky? I get an alert from the commander about a possible suspect, which happened to be some pretty girl I was watching at the exact time. Then I approach her and she runs off before I even had time to see her face properly. When I finally caught up with her, the commander was already there. Then the Vampire Lord himself comes and takes off with the Sora he's been stalking ever since the human came to this city. Not long after that, I hear the boy's screams. Poor thing…." He sighed again "He's going to be like a caged animal. Either he'll submit entirely to the vampires, or he'll fight back and resist."

Another sigh and Tidus leaned backwards, allowing his head to fall back as he shook the water out of his hair. As soon as he did so, he noticed a stranger. The stranger was someone he had never seen before, the man was tall, and dressed in some of the most elegant robes he had ever seen. The man's hair and eyes were a shade of blue he had never seen on another being – and that was saying something, considering who Tidus was – and the hair style was also something he had never seen, interesting. The man was the first in everything Tidus saw on human appearances.

Wait, scratch that, the stranger can't be any other human; humans do not stand on the very tip of trees like this man was doing.

"Hey!" Tidus greeted the man cheerfully "you thinking about something as well?"

"You can see me?" The man asked, a strange smile coming onto his lips.

"Kind of hard not to, considering your appearance, in a good sense I mean" Tidus replied. "So what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important," the man answered. "I'm just a passerby, don't mind me."

"Now why would you put down yourself like that? A normal passerby would not have been able to stand on a tree like that."

"Well, I'm planning to move into this area soon, and I wanted to see the scenery in a higher projection."

Tidus laughed, his tone still merry "if that was so, you should've gone to see it through the skyscrapers. I'm pretty sure even without Riku's permission you would've done it."

"That's true," the stranger replied, "after all, I'm here now, am I not?"

"Totally irrelevant, but similar concept!" Tidus began laughing again, and the stranger also started chuckling. Just as easily, though, Tidus stopped and grew serious.

"You don't have his permission, do you?" He asked. "You don't happen to be with that beautiful girl in pink, now, would you?"

"No, and no" the stranger answered honestly, the smile that Tidus now thought creepy still on his lips. Tidus shook his head, almost in mock sorrow.

"In either case, it makes no difference. You see, I am obliged to make sure this city doesn't have more trouble then we need around here." Tidus stood up, and at the same time the surrounding lake rose. The water became suspended into a giant sphere, but then it stretched, consuming both Tidus and the man inside. The distance required the water sphere to become hollow inside, allowing them both air.

"Judging by this almost-sphere," the stranger commented "I'm assuming you are a Blitzball player. Taking that as a factor along with this type of barrier made by water no doubt mixed with your own editions, I'm assuming you're the Medium."

"Aye," Tidus was holding his hands together now, and a faint light was starting to glow from them. He stretched his hands apart just as the light formed into a Naginata **1**, and he grasped onto it. Skillfully wielding it in a circle as if for warm up, he continued "you must have guessed that, when I first saw you there. No normal being would have been able to see through that invisibility spell." Without warning he lunged forward, staff polished, blade gleaming, matching the sudden gleam in his eyes. The man smoothly jumped backwards to another tree, still smiling, but Tidus didn't stop his pursuit.

"We haven't introduced ourselves properly yet!" Tidus yelled as he whipped his weapon out again. "My name is Tidus Fayth!" The blade nearly cut off the stranger's hair as Tidus quickened his speed. "I'm not only the rising star in Blitzball…" the end of the staff nearly met the stranger's face, but the stranger moved away just in time "but I'm a Medium in Traverse Town!" A series of attacks displayed his mastery of the weapon, but also proved the stranger's skill in dodging it "and my loyalty goes to the Vampire Lord Riku!" The water stretched itself and blocked his blade from nearly cutting a tree branch, where the stranger's head just seconds ago had been in front of.

"Thank you for the detailed introduction," the stranger's creepy smile grew "I am Seymour Guado, associated with titles such as Maester, Lord, and Summoner." As if to prove it, several creatures were summoned by his side, all of which pounced onto Tidus. Tidus let out a surprised yelp, but his naginata quickly disposed of the creatures, during this time Seymour continued "I am the leader of the Guado nation, and I have some power over the armed forces that are currently raging a war with the Ronso."

"Hey man, you don't look like a soldier at all." Tidus couldn't help taking a jib as he and Seymour paused in their attacks "You look like you should remain in some temple preaching peace and other ideologies."

"Appearances can be very deceiving" This time, a rather large monster was summoned at his side. The creature let out a roar as it attacked, but the naginata quickly slowed down its speed as it met the beast before it could even touch the blonde. When the next strikes failed to kill the beast, Tidus glanced over his shoulder to the surrounding water, and it promptly surged forward, enclosing the beast in another sphere. The beast's struggling soon eased as the water drowned it. Tidus watched the blue haired man's expression as this happened.

"Pretty good, for someone who looks like he spends hours making sure his appearance is perfect."

"You too, child, who looks like he belongs in a comedy show."

"You're a really funny man!"

"Your compliments make me blush"

The two started laughing again, by all appearances happy and friendly. That is, if they weren't running around, causing havoc with summoning monsters and naginata swings. Were it not for the surrounding water, which blocked all damages that could have been done to the surrounding area, the place would have been devastated. Where the two fighters went, the water followed, keeping them both inside the sphere and blocking the sounds the two made. The only sounds a _real_ passerby could hear would be the splashing of water.

That was, until two things occurred, practically at the exact same time.

First, Seymour apparently decided that he had enough of playing around, and as a result decided to summon not monsters, but an Aeon. The large summon beast let out horrible roar that was enough to knock Tidus back, but that wasn't anything compared to what happened next.

With a shout of "TIDUS! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO THE BLITZBALL SPHERE SETTING!" Wakka, Tidus' friend and long time companion, came rushing into the scene and, incidentally, right into the sphere of water. The moment he did so, Wakka saw several things. One, Tidus had his weapon out, and was slightly panting no doubt because he had been using it. Two, there were several bodies of undefined beasts laying about, tossed carelessly around by the water. Third, there was a tall stranger in the sphere, and beside him was a large undefined _thing_ that looked dangerous. Fourth, and most important of all, said dangerous thing was _rushing right at him_.

"Wakka!" Tidus temporarily threw away all common sense when he saw the danger his friend was in. Running forward in speeds that suppressed the word 'fast', he landed behind the creature and plunged the naginata into its back. With another roar the creature whirled around, knocking Tidus back. Tidus jumped to his feet, but was only able to push Wakka out of the way before the creature attacked him. This time, Tidus couldn't defend himself, and the attack brought a cry of pain from his lips. Still, he grit his teeth and fought back, depleting the creature's strength and driving it back, till one vicious strike forced the creature into a safe distance away from him.

Not missing the opportunity, Tidus jumped up Seymour's side, the Naginata's blade positioned to the man's neck. Despite what happened, Tidus' voice remained as light as ever "Mind calling your summon back, Seymour? We'll settle this some other time, but not when other lives are being risked, _especially_ when they happen to be a friend of mine."

"If you wish so," Seymour moved his hands, and the creature disappeared. At the same time, the littering bodies of his earlier summons faded away, and no trace of them having been there remained. Seeing this, Tidus relinquished his manipulation of the water sphere, and they fell with a splash back into its lake form, calm and surrounding the mansion. Tidus stepped back, withdrawing his weapon, and Seymour finally turned to look at him.

"I admit, I have clearly underestimated the strength of Lord Riku's Medium. While no clear victory has come from this battle, Tidus, you have earned my respect. Let us meet again, and settle this battle without interruptions."

"I look forward to it"

Seymour nodded and jumped down to the ground. He smiled at Wakka as he walked past him and out the gates. Wakka waited until he heard the gates close, and then he stormed to where Tidus was "You're telling me what just happened."

Tidus stared after the blue haired man, and for a while remained silent. Finally, he turned to Wakka "Riku's going to have more trouble now. Looks like the Guado want to use Traverse Town as some sort of buffer zone in their war or something **2**, and that's the last thing we need. The fact they came without Riku's knowledge makes me uneasy, we have to warn him."

The Vampire Lord that Tidus was talking about was not in the mood for more trouble. Indeed, when Riku woke up and realized his new fledging wasn't beside him like he should be, a surge of anger – and concern – filled his heart. He sat up, allowing the black silk sheets to be tossed carelessly at the side, and made his way out to find Sora. He didn't have to go far.

"SELPHIE! YOU AND THAT FLEDGING WILL PAY!" Ah, the sweet sounds of an angry vampire. Riku recognized the voice as Zell Dincht's, one of his more vocal vampires. Also known as Selphie Tilmitt's opponent in the prank war those two vampires loved to engage in. Usually, things get a little out of hand only when Yuffie, one of the younger werewolves, were involved. The shouting however would always be there. Thanks to that yell, though, Riku could now guess that Sora was with her. He wondered whether Sora got dragged into her pranks willingly, or was forced to by Selphie.

When he approached the scene, he could see Zell standing below at the lobby, blond hair and clothing covered with paint. Selphie must have been too lazy to think up one of her original prank ideas. Currently, she was standing on the very edge of the chandelier, paint bucket still in her hand. Behind her, clinging tightly to the chains and looking fearfully at the floor several meters below them, was Sora. His paint covered hands told Riku he must have been involved in the mess that Zell was now in, but by the occasional glances at Zell's furious expression, along with the slight upturned lips, Sora was apparently feeling somewhat happy.

Hum, looks like Sora's second meeting with a vampire happened to be with the cheerful and welcoming Selphie and his possible third meeting was with the energetic Zell. In the long run, this might be good for Riku. After all, if Sora saw Selphie and Zell were vampires that could still be cheerful and engaging in prank wars, he could see that vampires were not at all the bloodthirsty and dark monsters humans tend to believe.

If Selphie got Sora as her partner in crime already in this prank war, Sora must have been already somewhat won over by her cheerfulness. Hopefully, having another cheerful presence around would ease the loneliness a fledging vampire could occasionally feel, especially with Sora's case, as the boy would most likely miss his happy cousin.

Outside, the humans occupied the streets. By Seventh Heaven, there was an alleyway that had two such beings pressed against the wall. Or at least, one human pressed against the wall by his larger partner, except there was a jolt of electricity, and the larger man fell to the ground. The first figure removed himself from the wall, one hand holding a Taser **3**,and smirked at the limp body. "I was planning to rob from you anyways, drunkard of a man, people like you are a disgrace to the race of humans, yo." Reno pocketed his small weapon, and was about to remove the man's wallet when something slammed him to the wall again.

He swore loudly and turned, only to have a huge sword pointed at his throat. The holder of the sword was just as scary, blond hair seemed to move with a life of its own, and glowing blue eyes regarded him angrily. Vampire fangs were bared, and it was hard to think that just last night, Reno had been with this rather scary blonde, pointing Kelly out as his next prey. He swallowed, Cloud may be shorter then him – his height reached only to Reno's eyes, it was the spiky hair that made him look taller – but Cloud was also far stronger then Reno could ever be. He grinned nervously "whoa, Cloud, what's gotten you so mad, yo?"

"You fucking _liar_," Cloud hissed "you told me that you were not in contact with any other Jenova Vampire, what is the meaning of your supposed plotting with Aerith?"

"Now see here, yo, I never did any plotting with her. In fact, I haven't talked to her at all."

"No, apparently she was talking to an Axel."

"Axel? That's my brother, yo!"

"…."

"I told you before I had a twin brother! We're very alike, yo, you can look up some registry and confirm for yourself!"

"Reno, a long time ago I have, you don't have a twin brother."

"That was before I came here and reunited with him, yo! Besides, how reliable is information from a slum kid anyways? I BS my personal information when I was joined ShinRa. Honestly yo! Want me to phone him and have him stand next to me?"

"No, I don't need more people to know I'm in contact with you. Then what do you know about your brother and Aerith's plans?"

"Nothing."

"…." Cloud lowered his sword, and Reno let out a sigh of relief. "Look, I'll ask and see what Axel would tell me. No guarantees, yo. Besides, what's wrong with Aerith getting help from Axel behind Sephiroth's back? You're doing the same with me, aren't you?" Cloud's grip on his sword tightened, Reno ignored it as he touched his throat for any scars "Sephiroth doesn't know you're starting to remember again, or that you've been having contact with me. If he had, he would've killed me by now or messed with your mind again. Anyways, next time you try to threaten me, use a smaller sword would you?" Cloud looked at him, and pointed to Fenrir, the motorcycle that was parked innocently nearby. It appeared that Fenrir also had several specially built compartments to carry many different sized swords, and there were some that were even larger then the one Cloud held at his throat.

Reno ought to remember that the Buster Sword had been returned to Zack, Cloud now wields the First Tsurugi **4**.

**1 Naginata: A weapon mostly seen from old times. It is a staff/pole like weapon with a blade at the end. Unlike the scythe, where the blade is almost perpendicular to the staff, the Naginata's blade goes almost straight up, like a spear or slender glaive. In Final Fantasy X he had his sword and in Kingdom Hearts he had that pole, but I considered the sword too typical a weapon and typing 'pole' constantly sounds a bit strange, therefore I chose the Naginata, a similar weapon except with a blade at the end. **

**2 Buffer zone: Usually an area of land or another independent country meant to separate two other counties to keep the peace. It also means if war does start, the battle will take place at the buffer zone first, before entering any of the warring countries. Several were created during and after the World Wars and even in the Cold War. **

**3 Taser: A small weapon that gives off an electric shock to stun or disable a target. Used by police to replace lethal force, but also as a torture device as it leaves no marks. Where Reno's electro-mag is would be revealed later. **

**4 First Tsurugi: The swords Cloud used in the Advent Children movie. They are six separate swords of different sizes that can be assembled into one. **

**Next chapter will go into more detail about Sora's meeting with Selphie and Zell, this chapter is long enough as it is. **

**Fans of Final Fantasy VII would recognize the significance of having a torture room that looks similar to a lab in the basement. For those that don't know, Sephiroth was sane up till he went down the basement of an 'abandoned' mansion and discovered notes that he was 'produced' as an experiment with alien Jenova cells. He then went insane and started his career of terrorizing Cloud and the world. **

**The scene with Tidus and Seymour was inspired by the manga and anime X, also known as X/1999. It occurred to me I really like to promote anime in my story, maybe I should do one for every chapter? People promote songs and singers all the time. Okay, so far:**

**Chapter One Promotion Anime: Yami no Matsuei **

**Chapter Two Promotion Anime: X/1999 **


	3. Above and Below the Surface

**Once again, I must thank my reviewers. One of you asked me to get to the Axel and Roxas part soon, and no worries about that because the next chapter is going to bring them into the story. That is, if I continue getting reviews telling me there's still readers of my story out there. I, like many authors, would assume a lack of reviews mean a lack of readers, and therefore stop writing. **

The drunken man had blond hair. It was shoulder length and layered, a slightly darker shade then Cloud's own. If Reno saw correctly, the man also had blue eyes. They did not glow like Cloud's, nor were they cold and icy. The man's body was fit, but was obviously more bulky then Cloud's, bulkier then _him_.

That damn _bastard_ just won't leave his thoughts. Reno pulled the man's wallet out, the man's name was Ronald Smith, a John Doe for all Reno was concerned. But the initials were even the same; fate must be laughing at him. He glared at the man as his thoughts took a trip down the memory lane. _Rufus ShinRa, remember Reno, this is the man you will give everything to, this is the man you will kill for. One day he will inherit everything, and yes, he's power hungry like his father, possibly more so, but this will be the man you will give your life to protect. _

Cloud said nothing after lowering his sword, and Reno knew he was keeping watch for anyone who might see what he was doing. Reno would usually do the same when Cloud was feeding. _Ah, Cloud, you are perhaps the walking reminder of my past. Sephiroth and the others seem so far off, but you were there with me since the beginning. We joined ShinRa together, with hopes for success, but you were all true and wishing to go for honor, I only wanted power. Sooner or later we'll drift apart, but it was five years before I saw you again. Unfortunately, you had forgotten me that time, and the two of us nearly killed each other. Still, we were not beyond teaming up together when we have a common enemy. That pervert Don, and of course our crazy general, but the whole time, my loyalties belonged to the job, to him. _

_How the hell did Kadaj's gang mess this whole thing up? Many years have passed since the fall of ShinRa, since Rufus' death. Yet it's not only by appearances that we're still the same. You, like that time, have once again forgotten your memories, but this time, you remembered me. You knew me, and I won't have you forget your former friend like you did the last time you disappeared. _

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

From what Sora knew, vampires were supposed to sleep at day and their bed was a coffin. When he woke up besides a sleeping Riku, he saw that they were both lying not in a coffin, but on a luxurious four poster bed with black silk sheets. For a moment he panicked, thinking he had gotten drunk and slept with some stranger, before last night's events came crashing back to his mind.

He scrambled off the bed and stared at Riku's unmoving form. After turning him, Riku had shown him how to hunt. Once Sora finished feeding off Riku's victim, Riku had brought him here, where he gave him bottles of blood to drink instead of having him get them fresh from a human's neck. From his vague memory, Riku had told him he was able to drink the blood reserves the vampires had, but that total dependence on it could result in ill health and death. Sora knew he would prefer that over having to kill, he's proven that before, when Riku tried to turn him. If it weren't for this vampire forcing him to drink his blood…! As he claimed before, he'll rather die then end up killing Demyx.

Oh gods, _Demyx_. What would he do, when he realized Sora was missing? It might take a while before Demyx panics, as there had been occasions where Sora had gone out overnight, even if they were relatively few. Marluxia and Larxene, too, always thought that Demyx baby Sora too much, always rushing to his aid; they'll probably end up telling Demyx Sora was probably out having fun and Demyx was worrying over nothing. Knowing Demyx, he'll allow those thoughts to comfort him for a while before he finally panics and call the police while asking every single person in the bar who Sora was last seen with.

He had to get back, he had to find Demyx, Sora ran towards the door and flung it opened, but his next thought prevented him from stepping out the door.

What if Demyx actually want Sora to be gone? No, that wouldn't happen, Demyx had always cared for him. But what if he had grown tired of Sora? What if he finally caved in to Marluxia's and Larxene's comments about Sora being old enough to take care of himself? No, the last conversation with Demyx itself was enough to prove that Demyx was still intent on keeping his promise to Sora, he still cared, and he still wanted to protect Sora. Sora could sincerely believe his cousin still cared, but…what if his cousin was instead horrified at what Sora had become? Sora wouldn't be able to stand it if Demyx rejected him; the musician was the only family he had left. Well, Roxas was out there….somewhere, but until last night he still seemed so distant, unreachable, and far off.

Riku must have a very cruel sense of timing, just when Sora saw that Roxas _was_ indeed in the city, he got turned into a vampire. Now he'll never be able to reunite with his brother, the goal that had him going for years was ruined. He felt his eyes fill with water, threatening to spill.

"Why so sad?" a stranger's voice cheerfully asked. Startled, Sora turned to his side, but saw no one. He looked to his other side and had the same result, but by instinct he then looked up and saw her. The stranger was a teenaged girl with sleek brown hair curled upwards at the end, and despite the fanged child-like grin of nothing-is-wrong-in-this-world, her green eyes showed some sympathy. Currently she was perched on all fours on top of a large lamp that was nailed on the wall, Sora didn't know how she managed that, was it some sort of vampire skill? He looked away from her; he needed no one's pity, especially not from another vampire. Even if said vampire looked nothing like how he imagined and more human then anything.

"Oh…Lord Riku forced you, didn't he?" The girl landed gracefully beside him. Before Sora knew it, the girl had reached out and ruffled Sora's hair, almost fondly "don't worry, fledging, Riku isn't as bad as his first impression gives. We're allowed a lot of freedom, at least in comparison to most vampires that have a lord to follow. As long as we give him support and make sure to carry out his orders as well as fulfill our duties, he'll put up with most of our ways. We're almost like family here, and you'll fit in here at no time."

"I…" Sora's lips trembled "I already have a family, my cousin Demyx….he doesn't know what happened….I want to go back…" The girl sighed.

"Even if you do go back, what happens? The majority of humans don't view us favorably, and the rest look at us in some sort of sick fascination. You'll have to forget your cousin, especially at this stage you're in. The bloodlust isn't as controlled yet, and in the worst case scenario you'll end up killing your cousin." A thumb brushed over Sora's forehead "won't you prefer him adjusting to your death and moving on, rather then be forever haunted by the fact you're going to live longer then him while he soon withers away in his short human life, feeling guilty he hasn't been able to protect you like he promised or something of that sort?"

Sora saw the truth in that, but it still hurt, it seemed as if he was just suddenly abandoning his cousin. What if that was what Demyx thought, that Sora had gotten sick of him and ran off? Sora would rather have Demyx thought him dead, grieve, and then move on with his life. If he believed Sora ran off, Demyx would forever be feeling like a failure.

As soon as he got this 'bloodlust' thing under control, he'll go see how Demyx is doing. If he's moved on, Sora wouldn't disturb him, if he hasn't, he'll have to think of something. Maybe this stranger could give some advice based on her experience of getting turned into a vampire and leaving her family? She sure seems to understand the idea of leaving a beloved one….hold on.

"How did you know about his promise to protect me?" The stranger's hand withdrew, but Sora stared hard at her. The stranger hesitated and explained.

"When a Vampire Lord considers a fledging, they usually look up more then just the background information of possible candidates. Usually, we play a role in the research and observation too." Catching Sora's look, she hurriedly added "Hey, wouldn't you want to make sure you're choosing a suitable candidate if you wanted them to be your fledging?"

"I wouldn't know, considering that at this moment I don't seem to know anything!" Sora pointed almost accusingly at Riku's direction "He didn't warn me or tell me anything, and judging by your expression when you realized he forced me it seems like vampires usually warn the humans before turning them!" He felt like sinking into the floor or doing something as equally showing of his despair "I don't know if I can withstand this. I can't go back to Demyx, but being here doesn't seem as welcoming either."

"Now wait a minute here," the stranger frowned. "I said before, here is where your new family is, stop looking so depressed!" She yanked Sora to his feet, and he stumbled, slightly stunned. The girl's eyes now had a strange gleam in them "vampires are not as bad as you seem to believe. I'll show you, but you'll have to help me in something first. Nothing bad, I promise you, don't look at me like that. Come on!" Without warning she pulled Sora down the corridor and to what seemed to be an indoor balcony, which faced a large chandelier. The scene provided showed that they appeared to be on the highest floor in the building.

"Are we...in a skyscraper?" Sora asked as he saw the large windows at side, providing a view of Traverse Town from high heights.

"What, you think we're in a castle or something? This is the city, and we need somewhere to provide a home for all the vampires and other supporters of Riku. This skyscraper is almost at the centre of the city, and holds almost all the supernatural beings. I, for one, live on the sixteenth floor. Lord Riku would of course live here on the highest floor, and you are to stay with him here. Of course, there's always the occasional supporter who live out of these walls, Riku's Medium – person named Tidus – for example. Anyways," she did the unthinkable. Grabbing Sora's hand, she climbed over the balcony….and jumped. Landing gracefully across on the sixteenth floor, she turned to look at Sora. "I'll show you, what vampire life could be like, are you even listening to me?" when Sora gave no reply she reached for his collar and shook him "Hey! Do you hear me?"

"Huh? Yea…." Sora trailed off as the shock passed him. The stranger gestured for him to wait before turning away to a door and unlocking it. "Wait….I still don't know your name." Just like that, the floodgates opened. Sora learned the girl's name was Selphie Tilmitt, and though young she was actually much older then she looks. Her appearance was also deceiving because she turned out to be one of the more powerful vampires, and part of Riku's elite fighting force. Because of this she really only had two superiors, Lord Riku and Commander Squall Leonhart, though the man insisted on being named as Leon because of a dark past that Sora was to never bring up. Though Zexion held no authority over her she was to still respect him as he was the Werewolf Head. She described the appearances of Leon and Zexion in detail, warning Sora to never annoy them, though he'll be given more leniency because he was Riku's fledging. She then went on about some of the people she had to respect even though she didn't have to answer to them, as getting them angry would not be a good. Somehow, she then proceed to convince him to join in some crazy plot of hers to dump paint on another vampire named Zell Dincht because the two of them were engaged in a prank war but the absence of the werewolf Yuffie had posed a sort of problem for Selphie.

While she was talking, Selphie turned up the radio and TV she had in her room to maximum volume. She explained that Zell's last prank had been to ruin the water temperature when she was in the shower. So now, she was going to prevent him from getting any sleep at all. While stomping around on the floor, she told him that Zell lived right underneath her living quarters. Sora didn't know why, but he somehow found himself joining in. When Selphie changed the radio station to one that was playing music, he and Selphie started dancing wildly, successfully making more noise with their steps and rather loud singing, Selphie purposely singing in high notes that could hurt one's ears. It shouldn't be a surprise when somebody started hammering on the door, and Selphie grinned as she danced towards a paint bucket.

"Coming!" She yelled, and gestured to the door. Sora opened it from the side, and caught a glimpse of blond hair and a tattoo on the male's face before a shower of paint came and covered said vampire. Some of the paint splattered on Sora's hands as well, but other then that he remained clean. Selphie quickly grabbed his hand and rushed past the paint covered vampire as he let out a yell.

"SELPHIE! YOU AND THAT FLEDGING WILL PAY!" The vampire turned and ran after them, but Selphie jumped off the balcony again, landing on ground level this time. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at the furious vampire before running off towards the lobby. The vampire gave chase, jumping left to right from balcony to balcony. Sora couldn't help it, despite the situation seeming extremely dangerous; he couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that erupted from his throat. This was where he belonged; when Demyx first took him in when he was younger, Demyx had shown himself to be quite a prankster. He encouraged Sora to join him, and Sora did, realizing months later that thanks to those pranks it kept Sora's dark and traumatizing memories away. He stopped as he grew older and matured, but the pranks back then had been a way of life. Watching Selphie and Zell, he couldn't help smiling. Just as Zell closed down upon them, Selphie took a flying leap and landed on the large chandelier hanging down from the ceiling, Sora still by her side. Sora grabbed onto the chains to support himself while Selphie leaned out and grinned at the Zell's reaction.

"That was for last night's prank! Don't mess with the water temperature again!"

"Mess with the water temperature? That was you two?' Sora blinked as both Zell and Selphie lost the colour on their faces. Slowly, they turned to one direction. Standing balanced on one of the balconies was a man, with a red tattered cloak over his black clothing, and what seemed to be gold claws on one hand. Long black hair and glowing red eyes made up his natural appearance. _This_, Sora thought, was what a vampire should look like. Said vampire let a smile one would give for sardonic humour.

"Why am I not surprised?"

A few moments later found Sora and the guilty vampires in the gym. The vampire that-really-looked-like-a-vampire was there, talking to another man also dressed in red and black. They'd recognized him as 'Lord Riku's Fledging' and gave a quick introduction – the one with claws was Vincent Valentine, the other was an unsent (whatever that was) named Auron – before turning to the two prank-obsessed vampires. Now, Zell and Selphie were at the side, trying to balance themselves on one foot while the other was folded in front. Their hands were pressed together by their palms, reminding Sora of monks. Auron had told them earlier they were to stay like that for an hour or risk starting over and losing time for the night's hunting. Though not exactly their superior, it appeared as if Auron was a former instructor of sorts to the two vampires, and they obeyed him.

"Fledging," Auron turned to look at Sora "normally when we have a new vampire among us, their master will be the one giving them the tour and introducing other vampires, and they're also responsible for teaching them how to hunt. We as outsiders in your bond are not allowed to do any of that without risking your master's wrath. Therefore, we ask that you return to Lord Riku's chambers."

Riku, at the moment, wasn't in his chambers. When he went down the elevator, his sole city Ronso, Kimahri, had a call for him. With a three way conversation between him, Kimahri, and Tidus, both of whom had been with him long before Riku became a vampire lord, Riku dropped the formal manner he usually carried. "Spill, Tidus, what do you want to tell me?"

"That we've possibly got more unwelcome visitors here," Tidus got straight to the point, as he always had since his childhood days. Most vampires knew that Tidus and Riku were childhood friends, and as his Medium and friend, Tidus was one of the few people Riku could act casually around "Not long after the search for Undefined Vampire Number Seven, I returned home, and saw another trespasser in the city. He was not a vampire, but being under an invisibility spell already had me suspicious. The stranger indirectly admitted to being a trespasser, and revealed his name to be Seymour Guado. The Guado are currently in a war with the Ronso and to me it appears as if he is trying to make Traverse Town into a buffer zone or something equally related to war."

"Kimahri thinks it is unnecessary for them to do so, their battle is not in this front. Kimahri believes this is an attempt to seize more control and land." The Ronso added. Kimahri was the sole Ronso in the city, and his support went to Riku. His race's appearance was blue-furred, lion-like humanoids that were well-known as being formidable warriors, with a strong sense of honor and loyalty. The males had a long sharp horn as well, but Kimahri's had been broken long ago. It was one of the reasons he left his tribe, and Riku took the wandering Ronso in. To this day Riku had not regretted the choice, but now he wondered whether Kimahri would feel obliged to save his race and do something crazy like kill Seymour on sight. Speaking of that….

"Tidus, we need to know what he looks like"

"Yea sure, I've sent an email with a memory-made clip already, you should be able to see it soon. But I phoned you more so I can tell you what happened back there..." Tidus gave a brief description of what happened between him and Seymour as Riku listened quietly on the phone.

"This Seymour, despite his polite and charming manner, does indeed look like he cannot be trusted and he seems to be only bringing trouble to us." Riku agreed "Luckily, because he does not have my permission to be here, I am technically allowed to fight for my territory and attempt to drive the Guado out, thus making it possible for me to kill or at least order the death of Seymour. Really, he chose an inconvenient time, I'm already irritated with having seven trespassing vampires. Coming right now is like asking me to release some anger, Zexion and Leon should be feeling the same as I am, and they'll want something like this to dealt with quickly."

"Should I take that as an order to eliminate him?" Tidus asked.

"As of the moment, not yet, at least not until I've made it official with Leon and Zexion. When they come back to report, I'll give them the order. In the meantime, I have to take my fledging out."

"I personally think you should deal with this quicker, but I'll wait for your order quietly. I'll see you soon, my lord."

"Kimahri will wait as well."

Riku bid the two of them goodbye and hung up. His fledging, he had seen earlier, had been taken along with Selphie and Zell to the gym. Riku headed towards that destination and arrived just in time to hear Auron, his unsent instructor for his vampire forces, telling his fledging to return to his chambers.

"No need, Auron, I am already here." Riku removed himself from the shadows. At the sight of him, Selphie and Zell took the opportunity to drop down from their tiring positions for a bow. Sora froze, fear and anger rising inside of him. He stared with wide eyes as Riku moved to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come with me, Sora, its time to hunt."

"No"

The silence following that was one of disbelief, and Selphie let out a nervous cough. "Erm….Sora, it'll actually be much easier on you if you followed Lord Riku's orders on your own free will."

"He made me against my will" Sora hissed, "You expect me to listen to the orders of someone like him so easily?" That comment only seemed to cause even more disbelief in the place. The other vampires – and unsent – now switched their attention to Riku. Except for the narrowing of eyes, Riku's expression remained blank.

"I will not have my own fledging disrespect me, Sora. Nor do I wish to discipline you in front of other vampires. You will come with me **_now_**." Something else came along with Riku's words. An invisible force suddenly slammed itself on Sora's mind, and Sora found himself obeying Riku's orders. This wasn't without a fight, Sora's eyes narrowed, and the other vampires could see he was struggling to gain control of his free will. The fact that he had been able to do so at all was amazing, considering he was just a fledging and it was Riku, his master and the most powerful vampire in the city, who was giving him the order. Sora glared at Riku almost hatefully before finally submitting, allowing Riku to pull him to his side and out of the gym.

"This isn't good," Zell spoke up as soon as the two disappeared. "Not only is the fledging unwilling, but he's not afraid to tell Lord Riku that. Riku can't always control him like he just did, not only would it drain his power, but judging by the fledgling's struggle, there's a chance he'll soon adapt to it. He may be forced to submit now, but it's a possibility that soon he'll adjust to it and break free from the control."

None of the vampires knew it, but Zell hit a lot closer then he'd thought. Sora actually allowed Riku control over him willingly. His mind had reached a conclusion; with the way everyone was here, they'll no doubt support Riku in whatever he did, meaning Sora was alone in this skyscraper, no matter how friendly Selphie and Zell seemed. If he wanted escape, he'll have to do it himself. He'll have to get stronger then what the others believed, and though his mind protested, for he knew this might mean killing humans for food, he can always have Riku teach him how to kill more humane or take just enough blood to leave the human alive. Yes, he'll have to take blood, but he can try to avoid taking human lives. He'll learn all about Riku's powers and allies so that he could plan counterattacks. He'll learn everything he could, and make sure to train himself against standard vampire attacks.

As Demyx would say, have your enemy underestimate you, and it's easier to stab them in the back.

_Yes_, Sora thought as Riku gave him a quick tour of the skyscraper – gym, lobby, lounge, arcade, swimming pool, meeting room, auditorium, casino, tearoom, restaurant, even a spa – it shouldn't be too hard. With the way the vampires seem to view fledglings as dependent on their masters, they won't really expect him to fight back seriously. The only thing that can turn this plan astray would be if he somehow got attached to Riku, and there was no way _that_ was happening.

What Sora didn't expect was how he got after feeding.

After the first victim – Despite protests, Riku insisted Sora learn how to hunt properly before teaching Sora how to refine his hunting skills to leave the human alive – Sora wanted blood more then ever. As soon as he spotted another potential victim – a blond man alone in some alleyway who was looking for his wallet **(1)** – he pounced with unusual energy. Riku practically had to drag Sora away after he drained the man completely dry. Even then, it wasn't enough to satisfy Sora – he heard Riku mutter something about needing to teach him how to hide his marks or the police will get him for murder like they would to 'the seven' – and he quickly ran off to find more. The next victim was just as unlucky, but after what Sora later termed the 'blood high' – there was _no way_ he would otherwise act all loving to Riku, adore him and even hug him – had passed, he was sleepy and curled up in Riku's arms.

Riku was just as satisfied; Sora, like most fledglings, was adorable when he received fresh blood. Until they got used to the red substance, fledglings would be filled with energy after the feeding, and usually adored their masters until it passed. Sora was no exception, and for a while Riku could see the Sora that he had once watched from afar as he wondered whether the boy would be a good fledgling. As he returned back to his home, carrying Sora in his arms, he was feeling content and as close to happy as he could get. If he had it his way, he'll go back to him chambers and sleep, and then he could claim the night had been good.

He was not so lucky. Upon returning to his home, he saw Leon and Zexion at the lobby, and they looked more annoyed then usual. In fact, there seemed to be a lot of unhappy vampires around, leaning down the balconies to look down at the lobby. Riku quickly saw the reason why; sitting on one of the lobby's sofas, with several guards surrounding him, was a stranger with blue hair that was styled in such a unique way Riku would recognize as non-human. Said non-human looked up as Riku approached, and he smiled.

"Ah, Lord Riku, the vampire ruler of this city. I have been waiting for you."

"Who are you?"

"Someone whom I am sure you have already heard of, I am Seymour Guado."

Riku's calm expression almost dropped, and thoughts quickly flew through his mind. _That couldn't be…what is he playing at? I thought he was crazy for even attempting to seize control of this city, but is he seriously insane? Hostile leaders seldom come out and say they're the leader. _Riku's footsteps faltered slightly, but he quickly adjusted. _No, I can't lose my cool. If he's really Seymour, he'll…anyway; right now I need to act naturally, like a true vampire leader. _Riku gestured for Zell to step forward from Leon's side. He handed Sora gently to Zell and gave him the order to bring the fledging back into his bed. With Sora out of harm's way, he stepped forward and allowed his lips to curl upward into a welcoming smile.

"If you are indeed Seymour Guado, you have my respect as another leader."

"Thank you, I told you who I was so we could hopefully work together."

"Let us talk somewhere more privately, then." Riku gestured to the meeting room, but mentally he ordered a select few supporters, as well as Leon and Zexion, to come along with him. Seymour said nothing, but his guards followed him into the meeting room and stood at his side. As they all made themselves comfortable, Riku's thoughts were still running. _If it's true that this person is Seymour, no, even if he isn't really the Guado leader…_

_I can't do anything to him!_

While he smiled and talked to the other leader, Riku's thoughts were far from welcoming. _If he's Seymour, then he's probably the Seymour that Tidus fought against, and it's a very difficult thing to lie to a Medium. Now that he's revealed himself to me, if he dies, the Guado will have a reason to believe I'm the culprit and wage war in this city. Is this Seymour? And does he think of me as an enemy or an easy leader to walk over? I don't know how strong he believes I am, either he believes I can be dangerous or easy to manipulate. _Seymour's smile definitely didn't reach his eyes, and though his tone sounded sincere as he talked, Riku can see that he kept an eye on his reactions and responses. _Not now, I better keep my mind a blank, best to look relaxed and sure, he's watching whether I'm rattled or not…_

With that, Riku pushed his wary thoughts out of his mind. Instead, he focused on talking with the Guado leader. He knew that if he did anything that could provoke an attack, the guado could wage war and use it as an excuse to seize the city. Respect must be paid, he thought bitterly as he talked with the other leader. On the surface, the conversation was almost friendly, and seemed to be making good progress as possible treaties and proposals were brought up. Nothing was officially agreed on or signed in the end, as each side wanted to consult their own advisors. The discussion ended when Seymour announced it was enough for the day, and all those present in the room stood up.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Vampire Lord Riku; I hope to see you soon."

"I can say the same for you, Maester Seymour Guado." The vampires escorted the guado out and bid them farewell. Once they were out of sight, Riku dismissed Zexion and his vampires. Silently he headed back towards the meeting room, meeting Tidus along the way.

"Kimahri called me up when the guado came here, are you alright?" Riku ignored the question, moving past him back to the meeting room. Tidus blinked once, but followed, closing the door behind them when they entered the now empty room. Riku settled into one of the office chairs at the table, his back towards Tidus. Then finally, he snapped.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" The yell that escaped Riku's lips was the loudest Tidus had heard from him in years. "HE GOT ME!"

"He…got you?"

"That damn Seymour…" Riku leaned down on the table, his hands in front, curled into fists. "I've never been so humiliated in my entire life."

Tidus stayed silent at first, still not understanding, so he finally added "So, do what you planned to earlier and pass the order to kill him." At that, Riku sat up and glared at him.

"RIGHT! AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE OTHER VAMPIRE LORDS FIND OUT! THAT WOULD BE LIKE TELLING THEM STRAIGHT OUT I'M UNTRUSTWORTHY AND OUGHT TO BE REMOVED FROM MY POSITION!" Tidus stumbled back at the sheer amount of _anger_ that slammed into him. He stared with wide eyes as the silver haired boy turned back to the table, panting yet still glaring at him.

"Em…sorry?" Tidus replied, almost meekly, an angry Riku was a very scary thing. Riku continued glaring.

"Vampire Leaders killing vampires and Vampire Leaders killing Other Leaders are very different things, okay? So don't lump them together." Tidus didn't dare say anything, childhood friend or not, Tidus knew Riku would have no qualms about killing him if he did anything to trigger Riku's wrath. Riku continued "I want to kill that Maester no matter what, but if I do, the entire guado race will get me. Normally we'll stand a chance, but we've already got ourselves a problem with the Undefined Seven. Nor have I placed any spies or informants from the guado race. Not only that, but if I attack Seymour now, when he's already followed procedures to formally reveal himself and acting as if he's not hostile, the other Vampire Lords would see me as causing war and being unhonorable. Tidus, I'm stuck in a damn trap at the moment!" He whirled around to glare at the unfortunate boy witnessing his anger.

_All those years as a Vampire Lord and still I've never seen Riku lose his calm like this…he must be really pressured. _

"At first, I thought since he's here without my permission, I can order an attack and claim to be defending my territory. Now, I can't do that because he's already announced his presence. No matter how I do it, I'll immediately be a suspect if he dies in _my_ territory. I…I underestimated him. Before I could pass the order to have him killed or driven out, he's already came up to me saying 'I am Seymour'. If I had passed the order out sooner as you said..." Riku took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter, the point is he comes up to the vampire leader of the city, and formally tells them that he's the leader of the guado, that's a really effective way to shield himself from me, and a form of attack at once. He got me…that was a really good move…Now that he's able to come to me everyday with that calm smile on his face…"

Tidus nearly stop breathing as Riku glowered at him. The long silver hair and aqua eyes that seemed to contain a fire made for a formidable image indeed. As Tidus watched, an unsettling smile spread across Riku's face. He started snickering, quietly at first, before loud hysterical laughter bubbled from his lips. Tidus stared as Riku's lips stretched out impossibly wide and far, revealing his sharp vampire teeth. His eyes were almost as wide, and insanity didn't seem that far off to describe the look on Riku's face. By this time, Tidus was tempted to turn tail and run as the strange feeling washed over him, being a Medium had its disadvantages when it came to being surrounded by psychopaths, damn it.

Riku finally calmed down, and he lowered his head as he spoke "No need to be so negative," He whispered softly, and Tidus didn't know whether Riku was talking to him or himself. "This is also a trap _he's_ now stuck in." As if sensing Tidus' confusion, the vampire explained "Now we'll be going on a one on one, let's see who's more powerful! On the surface, we'll be friends, but below that surface….we'll both be trying to find out what the other's weakness is. The thing about the guado race, when they're in battle, their position's successor is usually the one who kills them, hence the high number of coups** (2)** that occur among them. Recently, to avoid all those power struggles, the guado leaders would secretly decide upon a successor and it would only be revealed when they die. In Seymour's case, however, he would have no successor, as priests are not allowed to hand over their offices like that. So, the one who kills him would be the one that will succeed his position as Leader of the Guado. No fancy names like Maester, but they'll get the Lord." Riku leaned back in his office hair and swung a leg over the other, all the time smiling a smile Tidus termed sinister even when compared to Seymour's.

"I like this, Seymour. If you want to be friends with me, I'll gladly hang out with you. I'll make you and the rest of your race trust me, and when you've told me everything I need to know, I'll kill you. The evidence will be all pointed at another, and I'll then kill that person, thus seizing power of the guado race and still look honorable at the same time."

Tidus didn't dare voice his concerns.

Meanwhile, outside of the skyscraper, Leon's boots splashed over puddles as they walked into a certain shop. Leon usually hated shopping or dealing with shoppers, but this one place was somewhere he frequented. Firearms gleamed down at him from the walls. Swords of different sizes and shapes practically glowed in the glass cases they were kept in. The counter was really another extension, with even more unique weapons displayed to the viewer. One of the three owners were sitting behind there, quietly polishing a gun. Stepping forward, Leon laid his gunblade on the glass surface, and the shop owner looked up.

"Ah, Leon, here for another update?"

"Yes"

"It'll be very quick, the price…" Leon handed him the exact amount, and the owner took them smoothly.

"How is Zell?" The man asked, his green eyes on the weapon in his hand.

"He is well" Leon answered. He never really liked the shop owners, but they were very capable in the job, and the store was well known for its wide assortment of weapons and weapon parts. Leon decided that was all he needed to tolerate the three shopkeepers, whose smug and occasionally arrogant attitude irritated him at times. He had no idea why Zell could become friends with one of them, but then again people couldn't stand _Leon_ half the time and yet Zell stuck close to him. Still, the shopkeepers were _human_, what would a vampire get from getting close to one unless it was to feed off them? Last time he checked Zell wasn't looking for a fledging. "Did you want to talk to him? If you wish I can take a message."

"No thank you," Yazoo gave Leon a rather enigmatic smile, giving a glimpse of what Leon knew was perfectly straight white teeth, normal and without fangs "it's nothing important, and I'll prefer talking face to face with him anyways."

**(1) Yes, it's the man in the beginning scene that Reno electrified in the last chapter and stole his wallet in this chapter. He's a really unfortunate guy, first he gets his wallet stolen, and then Sora kills him for food. **

**(2) Coup: Full name 'Coup d'etat', it usually means the sudden overthrow of a government or leaders. Unlike a revolution, where there are large numbers of people involved, a coup is usually only be a select educated few, and in the past would also have the support of the military. Another difference is that a revolution usually results in a major change of the country's political system, while a coup only changes the leaders of important positions. **

**Yes, you read right, Yazoo and Zell know each other and are on good terms; sense the problems this can cause? Not only that, but Leon and the rest of them all believe Yazoo to be human. Yazoo is also able to have his teeth look 'normal' even in the presence of another vampire. Why is that? You'll find out later. If you've missed it (though I bet most of you didn't) Yazoo, Kadaj and Loz are the three owners of the weapons shop. Leon, as it has been revealed, frequented the shop commonly. **

**The scene with Riku and Seymour, followed by Tidus witnessing Riku's anger, was based on Chapter 19 of the manga DeathNote, titled Humiliation. Calm and perfect leaders Riku and Seymour as killer Kira and detective L appeals to me in some strange way. Having Tidus as Ryuk the Death God witnessing Riku's pent-up anger was something I also couldn't resist doing. This chapter pretty much explains Tidus' role as a Medium, because they can sense others' emotions and its difficult to lie to them, Tidus could warn Riku of hostile or dangerous people, as well as put a stop to an possible rebellion. **

**Chapter Three Promotion Anime: DeathNote**


	4. Unique Introductions

**I'm sorry! School started and being in the IB program means 'test on King Lear in the second class' so I couldn't update. One of my reviewers noticed the connection I had been hinting about in the summary. Applause to Falcon-Jade-Darkness! And now, you'll get the Axel and Roxas intro to the story. **

Sora wasn't home.

Demyx moved slowly, like one still half asleep, dragging his feet against the floor. Long hair draped over his tired face, hiding the agonized expression. He called out for Sora when he entered their home, as he had always done, but there was no answer. He tried to ignore the worry that crept over his body at this, and focused instead at putting his feet one in front of the other, before dropping on the nearest sofa. He couldn't believe it; it was just supposed to be a message, one simple unclassified letter. He wasn't even sure why things turned out the way they did. As soon as they delivered the letter and made way back to Traverse Town, something like this had to pop up. Demyx curled his body together, taking ragged breaths, as he prayed for Sora to come back.

He ignored the fresh injuries on his body, the thin ribbons of blood that ran down his pale skin. He hoped Marluxia and Larxene were alright.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"You're kidding me," Axel said when his companion finished speaking.

"No, I'm not. I'm stuck in this situation because Sephiroth had the others think that I was playing traitor with you as Reno." Aerith confirmed. She bent down towards some lilies, arranging them into a better arrangement. Axel had his back to her as he pretended to be looking at some greeting cards on sale.

The two of them were in a florist shop, the place where Aerith worked in. The owner of the shop was the one who introduced Aerith to Axel, and despite their clashing personalities the two had grown quite friendly towards each other. Gradually, Aerith realized that Axel wasn't any normal human being, he knew way too much, and when confronted he admitted that despite the long time it took he had recognized her as a vampire, though he was amazed at her 'kind's new power, is this the next generation of vampires?'

Aerith ended up explaining to him that Jenova Vampires were best left in a small number, and that to become one they either had to be **a)** created by a mad scientist that should've died by now or **b)** infected with a certain sickness and have a certain trio approach you.

By now, Axel was her somewhat confider outside of the Jenova group, so in some ways Sephiroth had been correct. As much as Aerith loved Zack, the man was still loyal to Sephiroth, meaning he wouldn't share her feelings towards the silver haired man. Cloud wasn't the next option; Sephiroth had sealed away all his memories, thus giving Cloud no reason to dislike or disobey the man he had one day opened his eyes and be told was his leader. The only thing Aerith knew Cloud remembered was the promise to protect Tifa, hence Cloud's victims. She would talk to Tifa, but sometimes they both got too heated whenever they discussed anything with Sephiroth, so they were forced to avoid the topic altogether.

"Well then," Axel said as he picked up a card and examined it "I think it's obvious what you have to do. Since you already can't stand the idea of hurting your former friends, I can assume you don't want to bring Leon down either. Leaving you with only one option – get to the Werewolf. The silver haired, cold, second most powerful ruler of the city named Zexion."

"Which itself is a problem, it would be difficult trying to get him."

"Don't worry, I have an idea, but it's going to involve several others, including the owner of this store."

"Whatever plan you have, Axel, I don't think I could be involved yet." Aerith and Axel whirled around to the new speaker, and both their eyes widened. The speaker was the owner of the store, leaning heavily against the doorway, and he looked terrible. His hair, usually so perfect, was a mess. His clothing was in tatters, and the skin revealed cuts and traces of blood, especially at his back, as proven when he tried to move forward and instead collapsed.

"Marluxia!" Aerith rushed to his side "what happened to you?" Marluxia dodged the question.

"Get me the first aid kit, please, and no, don't phone the hospital." Aerith helped him to the couch before rushing off to the washroom, returning quickly with the kit. Axel switched the shop sign to 'Closed' and closed the curtains to block the view from passerbys as Aerith began cleaning and bandaging the wounds. Marluxia said nothing the whole time, despite Aerith's questioning. When she was done, she left to store the kit away, and Axel folded his arms.

"Do I get an explanation?"

Marluxia hissed "No, you won't really be getting any, because I myself have no idea how it happened!" To Axel, Marluxia sounded like a cat that got drenched in water. That was how irritated the man sounded; at least when he next spoke his voice was more tolerable, but the news wasn't that welcoming "To make things worst, _Demyx_ was with us when those things _attacked_ us! Why the hell are guado here anyways?"

"You had _Demyx_ with you when the guado attacked? Why would you get him involved?"

"He was _supposed_ to be involved from the very beginning!"

"More importantly, why would the guado attack you?"

"Axel, it's the _Guado_." There was a silence as the two understood what that meant. Then Axel let out a snort

"Then how could you have lost? You had Larxene, the two of you should have enough power to literally kick their ass."

"We were outnumbered vastly; the three of us got separated. It's possible they were curious about the letter, though they probably just wanted an excuse to fight. Look, we'll talk about this later, alright? Aerith might come back any second. Hey...where are you going?" Axel had stood up and made for the door.

"To see Roxas," was the reply before the door swung shut. Marluxia stared after it, unaware that behind him, just around the corner, Aerith stood listening.

Axel himself was not so unaware. He left the shop and just _knew_ his twin Reno sat on the ledge of the roof, modified hearing enabling him to hear everything that Aerith and Marluxia told him. Without turning around, he spoke "Heard anything interesting? It's been a while you started prodding into my affairs."

"Hard not to, yo, when I learn that the flower girl you've been talking about is someone I once knew" Reno smirked. Axel shook his head.

"I never knew that. While I don't mind your company, I have a certain person to meet. See ya some other time" Without waiting for his brother's reply, he left.

Meanwhile, in Traverse Town's largest library, Roxas sat at a corner reading a book. The boy often chose to spend his days in here, but what he didn't know was that because of this isolation habit, it prevented his twin brother Sora from ever finding him. The people he did want to prevent from bothering him, however, would always be there.

"Yo, Roxas!"

The redhead was here to bother him _again_, and though Roxas didn't move, his eye twitched. Axel strode towards him, ignoring the angry 'shush' coming from the librarians. Honestly, you'll think by now they would know telling Axel not to shout was like telling a crazed dog not to bark – not that Axel was going to compare himself with a mad dog.

"What now?" Roxas hissed, voice deadly. Any normal person would have fled when they hear Roxas speak in _that_ tone, but Axel wasn't any normal person. Such a pity.

"Got news for you"

"Talk, then be gone"

"That's the poorest attempt at exorcism coming from you"

"I'll try harder, but you're not worth the effort."

Axel dramatically clutched his heart "you just killed me."

"I wish I could" Roxas deadpanned.

"Exorcism aside, I've just gotten news from Marluxia." Axel mentally grinned as he saw Roxas pay more attention to him. "Apparently the Guado are here, and they attacked him when he was delivering the letter. He got separated from Larxene, but to make things worst a third party was with them **(1)**. Neither of their location has been confirmed."

"Did Marluxia and Larxene get rid of any Guado?"

"Dunno"

"Should have known you were incompetent at even gathering information" Ignoring Axel's more dramatic posing of being killed; Roxas closed the book he was reading. He moved to the shelves and replaced the book, but he was just as quick in grabbing another and throwing it at Axel when the other tried sneaking up behind him.

"Don't you dare."

"Roxas…why still so modest?" Roxas' eye twitched again. He tried to hold himself back from throwing all books within his reach to the redhead. The thought that Axel would burn all the books crossed his mind, and he refused to let such precious works be destroyed by the pyromaniac. Another reason was because the last time he did that, Axel had caused enough ruckus for the two of them to be thrown out of the library, and _that_ had been a real embarrassment. So, Roxas simply ignored the question when he next spoke.

"Got you message, now please leave."

Something flashed in Axel's eyes, something that looked like hurt. Roxas felt a stab of guilt before Axel promptly recovered "Alright, alright. No need to act like you have a stick up your ass, unless you had someone put one in there?" Roxas did throw another book at him, but this time Axel dunked. Sending Roxas another of his grins, he left. Roxas glared at where the redhead once stood.

"No, you idiot, you were the only one."

Sometime later, back at a certain skyscraper, Sora woke up. This time, he was alone in the bed, Riku wasn't with him. He sat up and let out a groan when he remembered the night. Besides all the innocent victims because he wasn't skilled enough to leave the person alive yet, he was cuddling in Riku's arms! He didn't remember reading from any vampire books or watching any movies that he would get so…. High, for the lack of a better word. He read how blood will become sweet for him and the thrill would be there, but he didn't think he'll start adoring Riku. He better not have done anything too stupid…. Not that getting high hasn't been stupid enough in the first place.

He better get some control soon, or he'll let Riku walk over him. Demyx would be very annoyed by that, he can imagine Demyx declaring war and firing prank after prank at Riku or anyone else supporting him. Yea, Selphie and Zell might not be too happy to have competition. Or they might accept it with grace and return the favor twofold, and Demyx would then go tenfold once he got Marluxia and Larxene involved, and so forth.

He slipped off the bed, briefly wondering where Riku was or when his hunger would come back. At the side, he noticed some new clothes had been set out for him, all of which were in dark colours. Remembering he had been wearing the same clothes for around two days straight, he grabbed the new clothing quickly and headed for the shower. By the time he came out, he was feeling fresh and very clean. Exiting Riku's chambers, he entered the elevator and went down. Halfway through, the elevator stopped and opened, allowing Zell to step in.

"Fledging!" The blonde beamed down at him, before frowning again "you won't be holding any paint, would you?"

"No," Sora answered truthfully. Zell stepped in and the doors closed behind him. Rather then having silence, Zell spoke.

"My name is Zell Dincht, I'm pretty sure Selphie told you that. Bet she didn't tell you I'm also part of Lord Riku's elite fighting force." Sora gave an affirmative. "Thought so, otherwise that might scare you away from helping her prank me. I'm thinking of getting her back already, but not yet at least. Have to refine it so that we won't have Vincent or Auron involved again. So, you know my name, but I don't know yours, unless you want me to simply call you Master's Fledging?"

"It's Sora"

"Pleased to meet you properly" The elevator's ding and opening of doors interrupted what could be said afterwards. Zell stepped out first ad spoke over his shoulder "Gotta go, its time for my rounds of the city. Just so you know, we have some reluctantly welcomed guests here – you'll know them by their visible veins and long arms with claws. Be careful when they're around, since they're technically allowed here, but it's almost obvious to anyone that they're hostile. C'ya." He moved quickly pass the lobby and out the doors.

Zell made his rounds quickly but efficiently. Starting from the skyscraper, he went in a spiral direction outwards so that he could cover the general area. Soon, he reached to the less densely populated part of the town, and there his quota of rounds was done. Nothing suspicious from what he's seen, so he walked down the quiet street with some cheer. Briefly he entertained thoughts of visiting Yazoo, and he grinned, walking down the stairway and carefully avoiding the possibility of stepping onto the bones.

Bones?

He blinked and whirled around, and there it was, bones. Human bones, he realized with horror. Despite the horribly disfigured and mutilated mess, some remains showed what the human should have looked like. The body was that of a redhead woman with a rather skimpy outfit, just dumped on the stairs. Her clothing was untouched, but parts of her skin and flesh appeared to be torn off the bones. The face appeared to have been skinned, and Zell could see the muscles over parts of bones. Her eyes were wide and unseeing, but Zell wasn't paying attention to any of that. He was paying attention to the marks on her neck, fangs, vampire fangs. A small trail of blood went down from her neck, down along the steps, pass Zell's shoes, to lead to another person sitting at the bottom of the steps. It was another young man, with blond hair like Zell, but it was so spiky that it reminded Zell of Sora.

Cloud wasn't happy, after Aerith's and Sephiroth's 'talk' in the lab, and then being told by Reno that Aerith had been talking with his twin brother, his stability had been shaken. After Reno had left either to find his brother or do something else, Cloud had been wandering around the streets, brooding and thinking. When that woman came along and began talking, despite Cloud's obvious lack of interest, he put up with her for only a few minutes before he saw an injured…acquaintance. Seeing that, he promptly shoved the redhead forward, and his acquaintance had recovered by taking the woman's flesh and blood. When the acquaintance left Cloud, partly because of mercy and partly because he needed to vent out some anger, finished the stranger off rather then let her live and endure the pain. He sensed another vampire coming, but Cloud had been slowed down by his own disgust at himself for randomly drinking blood to do much. As it was, he only sat down at the bottom of the steps to collect himself when the other vampire arrived.

Zell looked at the blonde, back at the dead woman, and realized who he must have walked into her. "Undefined Vampire Number Three," He stated, there was no way he could have forgotten those teeth marks, they were perhaps easiest to remember as all its victims were found only in one section of the city. He stepped down a few more steps "You're invading my Lord's territory." He said to the stranger "and you've been doing so for the last couple of months. You can't run anymore," he paused once, quickly doing what he was about to say "I've already alerted all of my lord's vampires." There was something strange in talking so calmly to a possibly hostile and not to mention powerful vampire. Zell normally wouldn't be so calm, he should be shouting and yelling at the moment, and yet when the other vampire stood up Zell's voice was still soft.

"Are you going to kill me now?"

The other blonde didn't turn around, but he replied, in an equally soft voice "I won't kill one of our kind." He made to move away.

"Hey wait!" Zell called after him, and the other blond stopped. "Look…the last time we nearly caught one of you, the order was issued that she be unharmed, I'm pretty sure the commander…" At hearing that last word, the blonde was suddenly in front of him with a sword pointed at Zell's heart.

"Don't move, and don't bring up the commander in front of me" Cloud said "By the way that none of you have been able to catch us, you can take a guess that we are more different then what you might have imagined. Just because I haven't killed anyone yet does not mean I won't" Cloud withdrew his sword, glad he had taken one of his smaller swords with him, and turned away again "Go home, vampire."

"But…" Zell didn't get any further before the blonde whirled around and slashed his sword. Zell stumbled back, tripping and falling onto the stairs, and stared at his arm, which now had a cut. Not too serious, but it hurt enough.

"I was going to let it slide and think of you just as an annoying relative…but you're becoming annoying."

Zell clenched his vampire fangs, and then slowly stood up. "That…" he hissed "didn't hurt at all!" He threw a punch forward, and the stranger jumped back. It didn't make much difference as in the next second, Zell was in front of him, and the next punch threw Cloud over the nearby fence.

Cloud coughed, choking at the dust created from his collision with what appeared to be a tombstone. Though dazed, his eyes quickly took in the surroundings, they were in a graveyard. Vampires fighting in graveyards when the sky was dark, how cliché; and where the hell was his sword? Before he could search for it, footsteps brought his attention to the front, where Zell was walking forward. Before Cloud could move, Zell reached out and grabbed him by his neck. He allowed Cloud to choke for a few seconds before smashing him against another tombstone. Cloud struggled harder, and realized it made no difference.

"You're physically stronger then me"

"Don't worry, I won't kill you…yet." Zell wondered why Leon hasn't arrived yet "If I was serious, you would've died three times already. It will only take one strike." Cloud glared, and suddenly from behind him several statues were raised into the air. Zell's eyes widened and he was forced to jump back as the statues were flung towards him, causing his hand to release the stranger's neck. Several more came after him, and Zell made several leaps backward to avoid getting hurt.

"I guess he's stronger then me after all," he muttered. Then he blinked, the stranger had vanished from his spot. He stood up, looking around almost frantically, and almost missed it when the attacks came from behind. Of course, Cloud had been standing behind him, he had moved quicker then most of Riku's elite vampires. Zell jumped out of the way when the statues were thrown at him again, those that he couldn't avoid ended up being smashed by Zell's fists.

"Looks like you've learned some tricks during your time as a guinea pig." **(2) **The stranger called out. Zell scowled as he brushed the dirt and dust off his clothing, and saw that the stranger was bringing more statues up to throw.

"What's with that tactic, can't you think of something new?" He called back and he jumped into the air. Cloud vanished from his spot, and appeared beside Zell in the air. Zell had no time to block before a much more deadly swipe was taken; Cloud had found his sword. Zell fell back onto the ground, but he got back onto his feet quickly. He tried to ignore his injury as he prepared for another attack, but this time the sword plunged into his side, and the pain tripled when the stranger wrenched it back out. Zell collapsed on the floor, and this time he couldn't get up.

_It hurts, it hurts, just like that time…_a little voice in Zell's mind cried and whimpered in pain, but Zell tried to ignore it. The words were just like that time years ago _help me please, somebody help me…_but no one would come, he knew that, and when the shadow fell over him, Zell knew it was the hostile stranger, staring down at him coldly.

_Ha, ha, ha, does it hurt, Zell? Does it hurt? _

"This doesn't hurt at all!" Zell yelled at the voice, but to all appearances he was yelling at his attacker. As it was, his attacker plunged the sword down on him again, pulling it out just as painfully, Zell cried out in pain.

"Does it hurt now?" Cloud asked. Zell shook his head, trying to cover his wounds. Annoyed, Cloud plunged the sword down at Zell's feet, and upon hearing the answering cry, Cloud pulled the sword out. Zell collapsed to his back, staring at the trees and dark sky. Some childlike part of him wished for mother, but his mother was dead years ago.

"Is it hard for you?" Cloud asked "does it hurt? Relax," Cloud raised his sword again "it'll all be over soon."

A chakram suddenly flew at him, narrowly missing his head, and turned around in a circle.

Cloud blinked, taken by surprise, and looked towards the side. Several vampires and other non-human beings stood there, one of which was a young woman with silver hair. She raised a hand as the chakram returned to her. "MISSED" she announced "CONTINUE?"

"Wait!" Selphie's voice, Zell haven't been this relieved to hear it for years, though he wondered why she said 'wait'. He found out quickly as he heard the approaching footsteps of another vampire. The footsteps stopped not far from where he and the stranger stood.

"Zell…" It was one of the more powerful vampires, though Zell wondered why he got so close. The vampire normally would be staying behind with the others.

"Vincent…" He answered; and Cloud lowered his sword to turn to the new vampire. Seizing the opportunity, Zell used his uninjured hand to knock the sword out of the stranger's hand and far away. The stranger's attention jerked back to him "What the….damn you! What have you done?"

"That's as far as you go" A new voice said. Cloud turned back to Vincent, and saw that a brunette now stood beside him – the Commander Leon. Behind him were several more of Riku's elite vampires, and when Cloud turned to the other side, there were more elite vampires. From the front and back he was surrounded.

"I won't forgive him for this…." Vincent's calm voice drew all attention him. "…ever."

"Zell should have followed protocol and waited for us" Leon agreed. Vincent said nothing, but he strode forward. Even Leon was surprised at the action, and some of the other vampires gasped. "Valentine!"

Vincent didn't flinch as he walked forward and passed by Cloud. From behind Leon, Zexion hissed quietly "Does he want to die?" They watched as Vincent bent down beside Zell and pulled him into a sitting position.

"I apologize, Vincent," Zell said "I didn't listen to the orders about protocol."

"Why didn't you wait for us to come?"

"I guess it was because you seem to be telling me during the punishment time with Selphie that I was in danger of losing my rank" Zell answered. "Maybe I was trying to prove myself…but it was no use."

_ATTACK?_ Fujin's voice came into Leon's mind.

_No, it's best not to provoke the vampire when he's so near Zell and Vincent, but why isn't he attacking? _Leon also questioned himself about the decision, but deep down he knew why he didn't want to attack yet. This undefined vampire might reveal to him why they were here, why Aerith was here. He didn't want to lose this chance.

"Vincent Valentine, was it?" Cloud said. "Are you not supposed to be the infamous vampire who bears the demon Chaos and have lost control of it several times?"

"Yes" Vincent answered as he slowly stood up. "_Like this!_" There was a flash of gold, and Vincent had backhanded Cloud with his clawed hand so hard the blond fell backwards onto the ground. There were several gasps and shocked whispers. Vincent rarely reduced himself to physically fighting, and he had used his clawed hand as well. Vincent straightened up "If I can reduce Zell's pain by even one thousandth, I'll do it…" He stared evenly as Cloud sat back up, blood on his cheek despite the already healing wound "…for a former companion, it's the least I can do." Cloud hissed through clenched fangs, and Leon knew he was about to strike.

"Valentine, step back!" He ordered as all the vampires prepared for an attack. Cloud backtracked, grabbed his sword, and leaped away. Leon didn't hesitate "After him!" He ordered, and the vampires rushed to obey. Leon spared a glance back at Vincent and Zell, and saw the normally stoic Vincent kneeling by Zell's side.

"I'll take care of him, go ahead" Vincent said. Leon was about to do just that when Vincent spoke again "Commander, I have never asked anything of you, have I?" The tone and words had Leon listening.

"No"

"Then, do this favor for me. If you catch that vampire…" something akin to emotion slipped into Vincent's normally flat tone "please don't kill him." Leon stared, but Vincent didn't elaborate, so he nodded and ran after his vampires. Once he was gone, Zell looked up at the red-cloaked man.

"That vampire…you knew him, didn't you?" Vincent stared at him, and slowly nodded. Zell didn't ask anything else; he knew Vincent wouldn't appreciate it.

Leon and the other vampires jumped and ran as fast as they could, but their target vampire had a pretty good head start. After several minutes, the vampire still gave no signs of stopping, and yet several vampires had already fallen behind. Leon made a mental note to increase the training sessions. A few more minutes later, the vampire was at the outskirts of town, one further step and it would be into the grassy fields before the forests began, and it was there the vampire finally stopped and turned around.

Cloud didn't say anything, he simply snapped his sword behind his back, and with his hands free he clasped them together.

From everywhere there came a sound of millions of scrambling tiny feet. The area was swept in the noise, but despite the vampires turning this way and that nothing was seen. They could not find the source of the noise; it was everywhere, as if they were _in_ the source of the noise. Leon didn't move, he stared hard at the stranger, and the blonde smiled at him. Then a large shape suddenly sprang up in front of him, surprising all of Leon's vampires, before more and more of them appeared, surrounding the group completely. There were some squealing noises too, as well as the gashing of sharp teeth, and Leon realized what they were.

The large shapes were rats, large and horrifying, scrambling and piling all over the other to create the large shape. At Cloud's gesture, they dived forward, biting and scratching the vampires. Surprised, the vampires fought back, but it was quite difficult. The small size of their enemy allowed them to dodge and slip past easily, and their large numbers made them a forbidding opponent. The scratching and biting, as well as the noise, was terrible and highly uncomfortable. Leon felt irritation rising, and he wanted nothing more then to grab the blonde and attack him with his gunblade, but remembering himself and Vincent's words, he resisted. It was also Vincent's words that had him fighting harder, the sharpshooter had saved Leon's life more then once in battles, and never asked for anything back. This blonde vampire was probably to Vincent what Aerith was to Leon, and for that he would try not to kill the vampire.

So with that in mind, when he managed to clear a small path thorough the dead and living rats, Leon rushed through and only aimed to point his gunblade at the blonde's heart. The blonde reacted quickly, dodging out of the way before the blade could touch him, and pulling his sword out to meet the next strike. The two exchanged blows; and the sound of their clashing swords were accompanied by the rats' squealing and scrambling. Finally, when the two were engaged in a lockdown, unable to push further with their swords and overpower the other, the blonde spoke.

"That vampire I was fighting with, was he Zell?" Cloud asked, Leon's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Why would you like to know?"

"I'm curious about my opponent's name, I know you're Commander Leon, but I don't know him. Judging from your expression, you don't want to tell me, fine."

Leon ignored the blonde's words and went into another topic "What is your relationship with Valentine?"

"Relationship?" An almost confused expression passed over Cloud's face. The blonde shook his head "There is no relationship."

"That's a lie."

"In another situation, it might be." Because their hands were too busy trying to push their weapons forward and overpower the other, Cloud took the opportunity to lean forward and whisper quietly "Tell Vincent….that his memories are still sealed."

"His?" _Who? _Leon mentally wondered _this blonde, or someone else more important to Valentine?_

"Do you want to say anything for Aerith?" Leon's breath quickened, Aerith, it appears as if Vincent's possible friend did know her and possibly quite well, but could he trust him to rely a message? Or was this blonde simply testing for his reaction for something?

"Nothing? Then I'll simply tell her you're fine and haven't been demoted for letting her escape." Cloud threw himself backwards and spread out his hands. This time, a thick shower of bats appeared behind him and flew towards Leon. It didn't take much for Leon to dispose or scare them away, but by the time he was done, the blonde had disappeared.

**(1) Notice 'third party' instead of 'Demyx'**

**(2) There's something rather suspicious about this sentence, isn't there? **

**We have Axel, Roxas, and Fujin in the story now. If I pissed any Zell fans off, consider the fact that I had Vincent attack Cloud for it. Some mention of Zell's past as well, and Vincent's made a few vague comments about Cloud (For a former companion, Vincent will try to reduce the pain of his current ones). On another note, the confrontation between Zell and Cloud, then Vincent's interference is based on the anime Elfen Lied, minus the amputation parts. Because there is no way I'm having ripped off arms and legs flying about in this story unless the character really deserved it. **

**Chapter Four Promotion Anime: Elfen Lied **


	5. A Question of Trust

**Since I'm at school, and enrolling in the intense IB program, updates would be slowed down. To keep readers fresh on what happened in the story, I'm going to have quick reminders on what has happened.**

**The story so far: Sora and his cousin Demyx (from his father's side) has been living in Traverse Town for a year, their purpose being to find Roxas, Sora's lost twin brother. Traverse Town is a city in eternal night, and secretly ruled by the Vampire Lord Riku, with a werewolf named Zexion and the Commander Leon at his side. Their latest enemy is in the form of seven 'undefined vampires' – actually Sephiroth, Zack, Cloud, Kadaj, Yazoo, Loz and Aerith. Against Sora's will, Riku changed the boy into his fledging vampire, and as a result Sora swears to find someway to undermine Riku's authority over him. A new problem takes shape when Riku's Medium, Tidus, discovers the warring Guado, lead by Seymour, in their territory. Aerith and Axel recently started working together to capture Zexion. To complicate matters even further, Marluxia and Larxene (Demyx's friends) are involved in something with Axel and Roxas, and there is mention of hostility between them and the Guado, signifying they are not normal humans. Zell has a fight with Cloud where Vincent, Leon and almost all of Riku's forces interfered.**

Namine frowned when she looked at the clock again. Demyx was two hours late for his job, and already the customers at Seventh Heaven Café were questioning her about the missing musician. Moving to the counter, she addressed Tifa "Demyx still isn't here, are you sure he didn't ask for a holiday?"

Tifa pulled out a notebook and flipped through some pages before shaking her head "no, he should be here. I don't know why he isn't, I phoned several times, but he's not answering the phone. Neither could I reach him through his cell phone."

"Sora isn't here either," Namine shook her head "Tifa, can I please drop by their house?"

"You have the keys with you?" Sora had given Namine spare keys to his home a few months ago. At Namine's nod, Tifa gave her permission "go ahead, we'll need him before the regulars start coming in" Thanking her, Namine turned and quickly ran out the doors, nearly running into a customer who was coming up the steps.

"Excuse me," she murmured, the silver haired man was a regular to the bar. The man simply nodded and went inside, while she skipped down the steps and caught a taxi. After giving the driver the location, she sat down and tried not to fidget, and when they arrived, she paid the driver and quickly went to the door. Her first few knocks were unanswered.

"Demyx?" She called softly "Sora? Are you two alright?" Upon receiving no answer, she pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. "I'm coming in, okay?" The lights were off when she saw the interior of the house, but the light from the opened door revealed a figure on the sofa. "Demyx? Why didn't you turn on the lights…" her voice died off when she turned on the lights and saw the man's state. "Demyx!"

The young men looked terrible, but rather then have her mind adjust to the full extent of his injuries Namine quickly went to the cupboard where the house tenants stored the first aid. She also filled a basin with water before taking both objects back to the limp figure on the sofa. Without saying anything, she began treating the wounds carefully, her nimble fingers following a procedure she long had gotten used to. In a moment, she was done, and she looked up to see Demyx's pained eyes.

"Have you seen Sora?" He asked, and Namine shook her head. As she placed the things away, Demyx continued "Are you not going to ask what happened?"

"I have a feeling if I do, either you won't tell me or I won't believe what you will tell me" Namine answered. Done with the small errand, she looked over her shoulder at him "Mind if I use your phone?" Demyx shook his head, and the blonde girl phoned Seventh Heaven "Hello, Tifa? Its Namine, I don't think Demyx is in the right state to come. Is he ill?" The girl glanced at Demyx again "You can say that. Is Sora there? No? He's not here either, I wonder where he went. Well, this isn't the first time Sora's gone out for the night, no matter how rare it is, I'll try not to panic so soon. I might be a bit delayed in coming back to work, is that fine with you? Thanks" She hung up and returned to Demyx's side "do you need me to do anything for you?"

"Find Sora for me" was the answer.

"I'll try my best"

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The boy the two were discussing was actually in no condition to be found. When Sora had tried to leave the skyscraper, a vampire had told him he was not allowed to step out without Riku by his side. Annoyed, Sora had tried leaving anyways, but then this lion-like humanoid had appeared and pulled Sora back. From how the vampire addressed him, the lion-like humanoid was a Ronso by the name with Kimahri, but Sora didn't learn much before the vampire suddenly stopped talking. It took only a few seconds for him to recover and tell Kimahri that Undefined Vampire Number Three had been found, and almost as soon as he finished crowds of vampires suddenly poured out the doors or jumped off windows. The vampire, who remained because of guard duty, said hopefully perhaps now they were getting some progress with the Seven. Unfortunately, instead the red-cloaked vampire Vincent flew in minutes later carrying the injured Zell.

"Zell!" Sora rushed to his side, but Vincent shook his head.

"Sora, go to the kitchen and get some blood reserves and take them to room 1518, Kimahri, take Zell back to his room, I'll alert a healer."

Wordlessly Sora obeyed, rushing towards the kitchen – he still remembered Riku's tour, the kitchen was connected to the restaurant. A blond, rather brash man by the name of Cid pointed him to where the blood was stored, and after thanking him Sora seized several bottles and went to the fifteenth floor. Along the way, he saw the vampires and other beings returning, and caught a glimpse of Riku talking to another silver-haired person. The description matched the one Selphie gave him of the werewolf head, Zexion. Ignoring it, Sora found Zell's room, and entered to see that Zell's wounds were already treated and that contrary to what he had first thought, the blonde was awake.

"Give him the blood, fledging" Vincent said. Sora handed the bottles over, and Zell eagerly took them. Vampire abilities allowed Zell to recover quite quickly, and by the time he was finished he looked almost like his normal self.

"Zell, how are you feeling?" Riku's voice came into the room, followed shortly by the vampire lord himself. Behind him was the silver-haired man, another man with brown hair and a scar across the face, and a blonde who looked out of place among the leather-dressed 'lackeys'. Sora was glad Selphie had told him about the group; Zexion, and the one with the scar was no doubt the Vampire Commander Leon, and the blonde, judging by the hairstyle, fitted the description of Riku's Medium Tidus.

"Better now," Zell replied. "Thanks for the concern, my lord" but Sora noticed the almost wary gaze he gave to the other blonde in the room. The other blonde seemed aware of it to, and shifted his eyes away from Zell. "What happened?"

Riku instead turned to his side "Vincent, will you please escort Sora out?" Sora's eyes narrowed, so despite being forced into vampirehood, Riku wasn't going to tell him anything. Before he could protest, Vincent placed a clawed hand oh his shoulder and steered him out. By doing so, Sora caught the sight of blood traces on the gold claw, and he asked about it as soon as they were out the room.

"What happened?" He gestured to the blood.

"Its not my business to tell you that, if Riku wants you to know, he will tell you afterwards. Let us go now" Sora glared, so Vincent wasn't going to tell him anything either. He shouldn't have expected anything else, so he simply pulled himself out of the vampire's grasp.

"I'll leave myself" Sora turned and moved away. Vincent shook his head, and returned inside the room again. As soon as the door closed, Sora turned around and moved back towards the door, pressing his ear down and allowing his vampiric hearing to pick up the conversation.

"So, what happened, Commander?" Zell's voice came up first.

"We gave chase, but the vampire had more endurance then most of our vampires. He stopped when he reached the outskirts, and we engaged in battle there. The vampire summoned large numbers of rats to attack us, to be honest Lord Riku, I have never seen anything like it. I myself personally exchanged blows with the vampire, but he managed to distract me enough to escape."

"Distract you how?" Riku asked. There was a silence, either Leon had no answer or was unwilling to say it, but Riku obviously didn't want to waste his time. "Do not bother hiding it, Leon. I can force an answer out of you, or have Tidus here show me what you're thinking."

"The Vampire….brought up an old friend of mine. Undefined Vampire Number Three mentioned her during our short duel. I thought she had been dead, because the last time I saw her was before I turned into a vampire. Well, actually the last time I saw her…was when we were chasing Undefined Vampire Number Seven, we were chasing her." The silence this time was more deafening.

"Tidus?" Riku said.

"He's telling the truth, if that's what you're asking" another voice, Tidus', spoke up. There was some shifting, and then Riku spoke again.

"So this explains why you pass the order not to hurt the vampire, but would this affect your conduct as Commander? Given the chance, will you simply let her escape?"

"No, my lord."

"He speaks the truth," Tidus confirmed "Leon, I'm sorry, but I'm going to state what your thinking. No doubt you will follow your lord, and you will still remain true in dealing with the Seven Undefined Vampires, but you will hesitate to attack Number Seven, this girl you call Aerith."

"Aerith?" Vincent's voice was sharp. "Aerith Gainsborough?"

"Yes…" Tidus said, voice now unsure. There was a beat before he asked "Vincent…do you know her?"

"Valentine?" Leon had joined the questioning. There was the swishing sound of a cloak, and the flicking of metal claws, before Vincent answered.

"Yes….I knew her, for a time we were companions, but she is dead. She's _supposed_ to be dead; I saw her death with my own eyes."

"_What_?"

Wow, Sora thought, remembering Selphie's words about the emotionless commander. That sounded a lot like emotion there.

"Leon, he's not lying"

"No, I'm not, Cid and Yuffie can confirm it."

"Wait a minute here," Zell said. "What you're all saying is that Undefined Vampire Number Seven is this woman named Aerith, who not only knew Leon, but was friends with Vincent along with the werewolves Cid and Yuffie, and was supposed to have died in front of your eyes?"

"_Murdered_ would be a more appropriate word, and in front of _our_ eyes." This time, the silence was tense.

"Who did it?" Leon's voice was definitely _not_ happy. "Was it that blonde? Undefined Vampire Number Three?"

"Him?" Vincent let out a dry laugh. "No, he cared for Aerith too much to do that to her. Unless of course he was controlled by…." Vincent's voice suddenly left him, like one after they came to a horrifying conclusion. There was a surprised yelp from Zell, and Sora could guess that Vincent had almost fallen in shock.

"Forgive me, my lord" Vincent's voice shook slightly "With your permission, I would like to retire to my chambers"

"Vincent…"

"Riku, his mental mind is in turmoil at the moment" Tidus actually interrupted Riku; Sora wondered what Riku's reaction would be. Off with his head? To his surprise, Riku accepted it almost gracefully.

"….Very well. Take a rest for now, but don't expect me to drop the subject"

With that, Sora quietly ran out of the hallway before the door could be opened. The vampires and other creatures in the hallways didn't even spare him a glance, and he quickly sat in front of a table in the restaurant. He may not know much about what was going on, but even he could tell the situation was serious. From a nearby table he heard some other vampires discussing the same news.

"…Number Three was just another blonde kid in appearance….pretty sure I saw him on the streets a few days ago…"

"…Body of victim was mutilated horribly….almost non-vampire-like….what new powers do they have…"

"…Zell and several other vampires injured….Vincent actually lost his temper and struck the vampire…"

"…Lord Riku summoned the Medium to help him find the truth…suspicion that the Commander is either losing his touch or allowed the vampire to escape…trust might be failing…"

"…The Guado are definitely hostile…situation might turn like that of the Cold War **(1)**…can't trust them...this is a bad situation…"

"Shush! The Master's Fledging is behind you two!"

Just like that, there was silence, and Sora could feel the wary glances sent his way. It seemed as if Riku _had_ ordered that Sora be kept out of their affairs. To avoid the atmosphere, Sora stood up and left, heading instead to the quiet library. Quiet was probably not the correct word, more like dead silence, except for the cracking of frames. There must be a fireplace somewhere, and he soon found it. Sora sat down on a sofa facing the fireplace, and could almost see the flames waving at him.

Like a friend…or a family member…his dear, dead cousin….and Demyx…caring, sweet, funny Demyx.

Demyx would worry if Sora suddenly disappeared….Demyx would miss him….and Sora would miss him too; a lone tear trailed down Sora's cheek.

Without the distraction of Selphie or Zell, he felt so alone.

For another spiky haired vampire, though, he would prefer to be alone then this. In the darkness, Cloud pulled his knees closer to his chest as uneasy eyes darted around his prison. Locked in the torture lab inside one of the human-sized tubes – his own punishment for running into the Vampire Commander; not only did he had a brush with Leon, but almost all of Riku's elite fighting force, including the werewolves. When he returned Sephiroth, as expected, had somehow knew about it. Unlike with Aerith the two of the didn't get into a fight, Cloud admitted to Sephiroth that he got into a clash with Riku's forces, and when Sephiroth told him his punishment Cloud had given in almost submissively.

Contrary to his behavior, one of the things Cloud couldn't stand was total isolation. His cell phone was actually something that held his life together, because even when he didn't answer, those he considered important always leave him a message. When alone, he would play the messages over and over, to prevent him from feeling abandoned. In this dark and silent lab, the place was serving a fitting punishment. Sephiroth might have also believed that Cloud purposely revealed himself so that he could help Aerith with her punishment, so Sephiroth wouldn't give him the same sentence. Another thing that Cloud would never be able to stand was _being_ in a lab; add that to locking him inside another tube just sealed his fate. Cloud remembered only bits and pieces of his experience in a lab, but what he did remember he wished had remained forgotten.

The first time he got locked in a lab was by accident, and it had been there that Cloud had started remembering things that should have been sealed away.

It had been a normal lab that Cloud had accidentally stumbled in, when some vampire slayers had been chasing after him. As he lay in hiding, waiting for the footsteps to pass, he had found some notes made by the scientists. The notes were very plain and simply about guinea pigs, but Cloud had felt a strong sense of déjà vu. That had been when his first forgotten memories assaulted his mind, memories of being inside a much more expensive and inhuman lab. The shock had been tremendous, despite it only being a few glimpses of things that made no sense, the memories caused Cloud had panicked. The vampire slayers soon found the building destroyed, the windows and other glassware broken, and the guinea pigs set free. More significantly, the building nearly caught on fire as well, something Cloud accidentally started in the lab.

He still managed to torch the lab almost completely before making his escape, and afterwards he killed every single one of the vampire slayers that had seen his face.

Except, he didn't kill the one that led them, a redhead that had seem vaguely familiar.

It took a week before he remembered the name Reno, and another week to track the name's owner down. When he had found the smug redhead in a casino, the redhead had laughed so hard it took Cloud almost everything not to lose his patience and attack him. After he finished laughing, Cloud was stunned to see a single tear roll down the high cheekbones. The redhead had then practically taken his hand and led him through the memory lane that should have been lost years ago, a lane that Cloud was warned to keep secret. A lane that, to this day, still had not been explored clearly; events were still out of order and senseless, names and faces were blurs and the people were nothing but mere silhouettes.

Aerith Gainsborough….  
Zack Knightblade…  
Tifa Lockhart…  
Reno…  
Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz…  
Tifa Lockhart….  
_Sephiroth_….

Outside, back deep inside the city, Wakka watched as the human police examined the remains of the dead woman. Earlier, he had seen the vampires examine it before leaving when the humans arrived. Wakka remained watching as the police and forensics crowded the body, and curious passerbys drew closer to see what the corpse was like. Wakka had no idea why humans found blood and gore so fascinating. Especially a corpse such as this, where the skin and flesh looked like it had been stripped off the bone and left to the flies. Number Three's clean state was now thoroughly marred.

Why was he still standing here, looking at the body anyways? The vampire or supernatural affairs were none of his concern. Wakka turned and casually walked away, unnoticed by the humans.

His feet took him to Seventh Heaven Café. Briefly, he remembered Tidus telling him that Number Seven was last seen around here. Number Seven running to Seventh Heaven, what a coincidence. Then he noticed a blonde woman limping up the steps. "Hey miss, you need help?"

"No, I'm fine" The woman snapped. Okay…that was rude. Wakka could see no injuries on her, but her weak movement said otherwise.

"Miss, do you want me to call the…"

"No! Don't call the police or even the hospital!" She hissed, and attempted to go further up the steps. When she stumbled again, Wakka decided to help her despite the rude attitude and refusal. He made to go up the steps, but his hand accidentally knocked down a motorcycle parked at the side. Like the Domino effect, the motorcycle knocked down another, and then another. Wakka winced _Oh crap…_

"WHAT'CHA'S DOING YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Wakka jumped and turned around.

Three tall guys stood there, dressed biker-wannabe style, arms folding and simply looking pissed. Judging by the way they glared and bared their teeth, Wakka knew the three were just humans. He gave them points for intimidation though.

"Sorry, I accidentally…" a large hand reached out and yanked Wakka forward by the collar, giving him a face full of who he assumed was the leader.

"YOU AIN'T GOT NO RIGHT TO JUST KNOCK OUR BIKES DOWN!"

"THAT PUNK CHIPPED THE PAINT!"

"GET HIM YA!"

Wakka cringed, sensitive hearing sucked at times. Some innocent part of him whimpered and begged someone to help, but Wakka knew no one would. Passerbys were suddenly looking at the floor and everywhere else, unwilling to interfere or get involved. No one would help, that was how the city was. The woman looked like she wanted to interfere, but she was too injured to do much but glare. Wakka mentally wished Tidus was here, it would make this a lot easier; but Tidus had been summoned by Riku. Wakka didn't know much about the silver haired vampire lord, after all, he liked his freedom very much, and he made it pretty clear to the vampire that he was not going to follow the bowing and serving. Which meant he had no obligations to serve Riku, but he was also mostly kept out of their affairs; not that Tidus didn't drop a hint now and then. Wakka drew his hand back, preparing to reach inside his pocket when….

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU SHITTY PUNKS!" A fourth voice screamed.

Startled, all of them looked up. Standing at the top of the stairs was a petit-looking girl. She had angelic blond hair and pale blue eyes, giving her an image of purity and innocence. The image was only ruined by the clenched fists and furious eyes.

"What the hell d'ya say!" One of the guys roared. The girl wasn't fazed, and returned the volume.

"PUT HIM DOWN AND GET LOST NOW!" So much for the girl's innocent-looking appearance. The girl's features were now twisted horribly, her eyes were wide with fury and her small mouth was stretched almost impossibly wide. Something in her eyes told of something far more darker then anger, a murderous aura was emitting from the girl, and Wakka half expected her to sprout fangs.

"YOU BITCH!" The leader dropped Wakka onto the floor and moved threateningly to the small girl. The girl didn't even flinch, staring back at the advancing men. Wakka sat up in horror, about to fight. He didn't have to even move.

People were suddenly gathering. It was as if the girl's screaming had drawn the people out. Men and women, teenagers and children, old and young, were all gathering together to surround the three bikers. They came from the streets, behind corners; some even came out from the bar to stand behind the girl. They said nothing, but their eyes were wide with something unspeakably terrifying as they stared at the biker-wannabes. For Wakka, there was something very unnerving about the small crowd, and he wasn't the only one who felt so.

"What's with you all! GO AWAY!" One of the bikers yelped. The people didn't move, not even the children or elderly. They stared hard at them, threatening and hostile in their gaze despite the silence.

"Who…who are you all?" Another biker demanded, but by now the voice was no longer as strong. Still, the people remain silent, only staring with their terrifying eyes. Finally, the bikers turned to each other. "What…what should we do?"

"How about, leaving my bar now?" A beautiful dark haired woman stepped out of the bar behind Namine. Although she smiled, the tense way she stood would tell an experienced fighter she was ready to attack. By her side, a tall and rather muscular man with silver hair flexed his fingers almost eagerly.

"Shit, Tifa" The supposed leader muttered as soon as he saw her, without saying anything else he quickly picked up his motorcycle. His lackeys followed him, sending fearful glances at the dark haired woman. In a moment, they quickly rode away from sight. Wakka stared after them before turning to look at the crowd.

The terrifying look on their faces was gone, and suddenly they were all smiles. Wakka at first thought they were smiling at the blond girl or Tifa, but their next words surprised him.

"Thanks for helping out, kiddo!" A burly man said, slapping him on his shoulder.

"Only this many of us came out, but next time we'll take more notice" An elderly woman said.

"Next time pick your enemies for the fights okay?" A little boy and his sister sang.

Wakka was stunned at the comments. Even Tifa and the man beside her smiled at him before retreating inside the bar. Once the crowd went back to their business, he turned to look back at the blond girl. He meant to ask "who were all those people?" but instead he asked "how is the woman doing?"

"She'll be fine," the girl said as she helped the injured woman to her feet. "I'll have to get her inside, Saix?" From the dispensing crowd another man stepped out, a man with golden eyes and blue hair. Uncomfortably Wakka was reminded of the Guado leader that had fought with Tidus, and unconsciously he clenched his fist harder. Even the deadly aura of calm was there. It wasn't until Saix and the injured woman disappeared behind the Seventh Heaven doors did the blond girl stepped down.

"Thanks for helping that woman there, as cold as she must have been I appreciate you trying to help."

"It was something anyone else would do" Wakka answered, though mentally he laughed darkly at the words. Close up, he mentally marveled at how soft and small the girl really looked. The contrast with this girl and the furious one a few seconds ago seemed almost unbelievable, as if he had just imagined them being the same person. The aura this girl was giving off was soothing and peaceful now. She didn't seem like someone who would lead the crowd just a while ago into a fight. "Who was she? That injured woman?"

"Her name is Larxene Katayama" Namine answered, "and you don't have to worry, as I said she'll be fine. Do you want a drink? My treat"

Wakka hesitated; somehow, after seeing her little display of fury, he was rather reluctant to just go up there. Seventh Heaven was a rather popular hangout, and the bar owner's beauty was well known, but so was her ability in the martial arts. Now, it appeared as if the bar also had a girl who could get crowds involved in her affairs just by a shout. Maybe he was over exaggerating, but Wakka had been in the city long enough to know that the people generally do not wish to get involved in gang or biker affairs. At the girl's shout, they had been drawn together and looked pretty hostile. It was almost like the people had some sort of pack mentality, attack one person and deal with all of them. Was the girl in some sort of Mafia family? More seriously, could she be trusted?

"Your hesitation betrays you," Namine's soft voice broke through his thoughts. "Did I frighten you this badly? Do I look like I would hurt you?"

"Well, no…" Appearances could be very deceiving though, look at Tidus and Riku, or even himself. In appearence just tethering on the line of childhood and adulthood, but they had more power then one could ever believe. He watched the angelic-looking girl shake her head almost sadly before looking up at him again.

"Let's start over then, shall we?" She held out a hand "Hello, my name is Namine Nakahara, pleased to meet you."

He stared, and then smiled "Wakka Nakai, the pleasure was mine."

**(1) Cold War: Some history lesson for readers who do not know this, it was basically a high tension era between the West and East, though mostly USA and USSR (Russia). Though no actual war between them was fought, the spying and assassinations they had going around was high. Their Nuclear Arms race gave them enough power to practically destroy the whole world. The whole time, they were almost forced to be friendly on the surface in order to avoid a _real_ nuclear war.**

**Only a bit more then nine pages, that's shorter then my last chapters. But I adjusted the width and length of them so I'm actually not that sure about how it'll appear on the website. Saix is mentioned for now, you'll see a tiny bit more of him in the next chapter. No other new characters in this chapter, Namine and Cid had been briefly mentioned in the first chapter after all. **

**Today's Promotion Anime is the scene with Wakka, Namine, and the three bikers, using Higurashi no Naku Koro ni AKA When the Cicadas Cry. Based more on the manga then the anime because I thought the anime kind of ruined that scene. In the anime after Shion screamed at the bikers and the villagers came, they just stared almost blankly. In the manga, their eyes go REALLY freaky and Shion looks a LOT more insane. She also yelled a lot more, as you can see…or read, if you prefer. **

**Chapter Five Promotion Anime: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni**


	6. Supposedly Honest Answers

**I had to rush through this chapter becaue I don't think I'll be able to write fanfiction for a while (due to school projects). So if there's any mistakes or contradictions, just tell me in your review or through a PM and I'll change it. **

**Previously: Sora overhears about the confrontation with Undefined Vampire Number Three, and Tidus reveals that Leon and Vincent both knew Undefined Vampire Number Seven – Aerith. Sora also picks up something about a hostile situation with the Guado. As for Cloud, while he is confined in a lab, he reflects on how he was recovering his memories secretly without anyone but Reno knowing, but is still unable to remember his companions. Meanwhile, Namine sees Demyx's injured state, and learns that Sora might be missing. Shortly after she returns to the bar, Wakka is nearly attacked by some biker-wannabes. There, he witnessed almost a personality change in her, as she screams at the bikers and somehow summons a crowd of people to her side. **

A flick of black, accompanied by black leather, and a figure drops down from the ceiling to the floor. A yellow and orange scarf, flying out behind gold hair, and a second figure darts around the room almost cheerfully. The third figure, trailing a unique half-dress over a short skirt, flew into the room carrying a letter. "We have some business!" She sang happily, and her other two companions stopped. The leather-dressed one flew down and snatched the letter, reading it upside down, before tossing the letter carelessly to her golden partner.

"Okay, we have some cash to earn" She said as from behind her, her golden partner rubbed her head and skimmed through the letter's contents. Once she finished, she grinned.

The three fairies flew about, gathering their equipment. Once they had everything, they flew to their room's door and stuck up a note reading GONE FOR BUSINESS. Then they flew out their window and with a wave of a hand, the window was sealed shut. Twirling an arc, the three girls flew out to the night.

"Location?" the black leather one asked.

"Dusk building, west of Traverse Town." was the answer, and the three girls sped up their flight. Arriving to the building, they descended rapidly.

Along the way down, the three girls glowed, and their bodies suddenly stretched. Legs and hands grew longer, and their faces matured. When they landed, they were no longer little, but rather good looking humans with all the right curves. Striding forward, they met a security guard, who looked at them strangely before speaking "are you three the trio our executives sent?"

"What, you don't believe us?" The golden one asked indignantly.

"No matter, we've already received the cash" The leather one said as she turned into the building. Her companions followed after her as the security guard called out after them.

"Hey! As a word of warning, just want to tell you things are really strange there. Some weird things have been popping out and frightening the employees. Many of them are asking to resign now, especially the younger ones. So you young ones might want to take care…" The man's words faded off as the girls disappeared behind the doors and went up the steps. Once they knew they would no longer run into any humans, they morphed back into their chibi-like forms. They arrived to the designated room, and the supposed leader stopped.

"Sense anything?"

"Yea…" Her golden partner answered, and at that moment white forms started appearing. They slipped out from the walls, drew up from the floors, or sank down from the ceiling. The girls grinned, and all three drew out their weapons. One of the white forms paused, as if considering, before it lunged, closely followed by its group.

A slash of a sword destroyed one, while another disappeared when it received some bullets. The three girls fought quickly, disposing the grayish-white creatures with relative ease. In less then a minute, all the creatures had been destroyed, and the girls' leader smiled "We're finished here, let's pack up now."

The sound of clapping prevented them from doing so.

From behind them another pair of doors opened, and a human man stepped out. He was the one clapping, and the girls turned to look at him. The man was tall, with blue hair and golden eyes. An X scared his face, a fighter, all the girls knew. The man then spoke "Impressive, indeed, fitting for the stories they tell of the YRP gang."

"You do not look surprised at seeing us in our fairy forms, and you were brave enough to stay here with all those creatures lurking around" Yuna, the leader, replied. "Tell us, are you human or not?"

"I am the Head of the Administrative Department here, my name is Saix Sato." The man subtly dodged the question. "I am also representative of my superior in today's business deal; I was the one who hired the three of you."

Rikku flicked her long scarf and tilted her head before speaking "Well then, you can't say we haven't done a satisfactory job. There's no more of those creatures in the building." The three fairies started packing, and Rikku continued "If you have any more problems, just send us a letter or email. We'll leave you a business card." The three fairies finished and made to move pass the man who hired them, but his next words stopped them in their tracks.

"I wonder, would you be interested in another deal?" Saix questioned. Paine, the darker one, answered him.

"Don't talk about interest, talk about cash. As your business is doing so well, I don't think it would be any problem for you."

"The Dusk Company has many branch offices and faculties, one of which is a hotel in another settlement that I am sure you have heard of; Guadosalam?" The YPR gang glanced at each other, before Yuna spoke up again.

"If we are leaving the border, the charges are different. Food and hotel must be included, and the fee for the job would vary depending on what it is you wish for us to do."

"Recently an unsent has been causing a lot of trouble for us there, despite our reasoning it refuses to leave or stop. I would like you to get rid of it and stop the problems it has been causing for our customers. I am aware that perhaps you might hesitate in going on such short notice, so here is a business card. You can go see the hotel for yourself first." Yuna glanced at the card and took it gracefully. She flew only a meter away when a soft singing came. From her clothing she pulled out a sphere and lifted it to her face "Yes?"

In the sphere an image of a blond man appeared "Hey, Yuna, sorry if I'm interrupting your business, but have you seen Wakka anywhere?"

"No, Tidus, I haven't seen him." Yuna answered "If you're asking me, it means you couldn't contact him even when you're free; but Wakka isn't involved in our affairs, so what do you expect?"

"I know…" Tidus' image in the sphere sighed. "Its always so difficult to find him when he turns off his cell phone, and I always feel guilty that I've been neglecting our friendship due to Riku's affairs…" A thoughtful look passed over Yuna' face at this, and she took a quick backward glance at Saix.

"Tidus…you haven't been on a holiday for years now, didn't Riku say he'll give you one upon request?"

"Yea, he did, why?"

Yuna smiled "want to join the YRP gang to Guadosalam? I'm pretty sure Wakka would come."

"Of course! That sounds pretty cool! Whoops, I'm getting too excited; Riku wants me to bring him his Fledgling first before I'm off the hook."

"We'll discuss this later, farewell" The image in the sphere disappeared and Yuna turned back to Saix. "One condition" Saix tilted his head questioningly

"Two more tickets"

"No problem"

"When it's ready, send it over"

Yuna flew off, followed by her companions. Saix watched them go, and smiled almost cruelly. Another ring tone came up, and this time he picked up. "Yes?" He whispered, quietly. There was a pause as he listened to the speaker on the other side of his cell phone, and then he answered "No problem, I've sent the YRP gang over, and as a bonus they would have Riku's Medium with them. The Guado would regret trying to attack us."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Sometime along staring at the flames, Sora found himself drifting to sleep. That was, until a hand reached out from behind and touched his shoulder. He opened his eyes and stared at a pair of blue eyes leaning over him, but his sleepy mind refused to focus on the person. For a while, he thought he heard his dead cousin's voice speaking to him.

"Sora, time to get up" the voice was soft, gentle.

"Cousin…?" He whispered, wondering whether he was still asleep and dreaming.

"You should be hungry by now, Sora, but Riku wants to see you in his chambers first." Just like that, the image sharpened, the voice changed. It wasn't his cousin, Sora realized. It was only the blue eyes and his sleepy mind that gave him the illusion, the person staring down at him at the moment was one of Riku's supporters, the Medium Tidus.

It made him better to know that he didn't have to tell every single person not to call him Fledging, or even worse Master's Fledgling. Yet the message that was delivered made Sora angry. He refused to give Riku the satisfaction of being so submissive already, plan or no plan. "You may tell _Riku_ that I am disinclined to accept his gracious _offer_."

Tidus frowned, seeing the difficulty this boy was presenting. Switching from the gentle tone he had to a more vicious one, he said "Riku did say you might refuse. He says in that case, you can forget going out for some food, until you're more really to cooperate tomorrow. Just so you know, the blood reserves are all being used to treat any injured vampires at the moment." Tidus pulled back and made to move away, and Sora knew he was serious. Realizing that they were going to starve him into obedience if they have to was not a pretty aspect. Another thing he realized was that if he wanted to even _consider_ resisting Riku, he would have to be strong.

"Wait," he said, and Tidus turned back to him. The expression was almost expectant, like he knew that Sora would give in anyways. "I'll go" He stood up and allowed Tidus to escort – or lead – him back to the elevator. A rushing vampire tried to run in after them, but upon seeing exactly who had entered the elevator, he stopped. The doors closed and rouse to the top floor, opening with a ding. Instead of going to the room that Sora expected, Tidus led him to another door. Sora realized then why they said 'Riku's chambers' instead of 'Riku's room', unlike all the other vampires the whole of the floor appeared to be Riku's living quarters.

"Hey Riku! I brought Sora here!" Tidus switched almost abruptly from the hostile tone to a more cheerful and energetic one. There was a faint answer, and Tidus opened the door for Sora. Sora stepped in slowly and Tidus left, closing the door behind. He saw Riku behind a desk that were stacked high with books and caught some titles such as _Past Wars of the Supernatural_, _A Guide to the Guado and their leaders,_ and _Wars of the Twentieth Century_. Why was Riku looking at such books? Were the vampires actively involved in a war? Briefly Sora remembered the conversation he heard about the tense situation with the Guado.

"Sora," Riku's voice interrupted his thoughts "please take a seat."

"If you don't mind, I'll rather stand" Sora answered. There goes his mouth again; his plan was already failing if he continued resisting. Stubborn pride, he thought, remembering what his cousins had both said. He was stubborn, always had been, and it seems that it would remain that way. Oh well, he can give Riku a difficult time with his attitude, but continue to pretend to be weak when Riku actually tries to control him with magic or some other thing; and he'll slowly fight against that too. Judging by the spark of anger in Riku's eyes, it was working.

"Yes, I would mind. I can't have another person questioning my hospitality alright?" Just like that, Riku was out of his chair and beside Sora, where he proceeded to actually push his fledging down on a chair. Sora glared, Riku frowned "you're unnaturally dry, were you too close to the fire? You shouldn't have done that."

Sora was about to ask, as arrogantly as he could, why he shouldn't when he started coughing uncontrollably. He felt Riku disappear from his side, and cursed the silver-haired vampire more viciously in his mind, but said vampire returned and pressed a cup to his lips. It wasn't blood, but cool water, and Sora took it eagerly. He could actually feel the water travel down his throat and spread along his body like some sort of replenishing potion. When he finished, he was almost disappointed, and when he realized that his hands were holding onto Riku's when they were holding the cup, he removed them angrily. Judging by Riku's faint smirk, it didn't appear to have offended him, damn. Sora straightened as Riku moved to sit back behind his desk, pushing some books out of the way so they could see and speak to each other properly.

"Best not to get too close to the fire, fledglings bodies are still sensitive. At least wait until you're stronger"

Sora brushed off the topic quickly, and went straight to the point. "What do you want?" He didn't want to engage in any mind games his new master might have set up.

"Don't talk to me so rudely, Sora, you know what can happen"

"Why do you ask for my company, _master_?" It didn't come out right, Sora thought. Sarcasm just wasn't his fort, and Riku didn't appear to be affected by it either.

"Sora, what would you do to prevent your current cousin from meeting the same end as your other late and lamented cousin did? Or more rightly, what would you do to prevent him from being forced into submission for another master?" Sora tensed, half angry and half afraid of what Riku might be saying.

"What do you mean? Are you planning to turn him into a vampire too?" He would be furious at Riku for doing that, but he also knew some selfish part of him would be glad; glad that Demyx _would_ stay with him forever. That Demyx wouldn't die before him, like his former cousin had. It was selfish, and he quickly grew angry at himself for entertaining such thoughts.

"Turn him into a vampire?" Riku laughed "I won't, having two fledglings would be very difficult to deal with. If you really want to, though, I can ask another vampire to turn him for me. Then there's also other creatures we can turn him into, but either way I don't suggest you trying that, you might regret it."

'What makes you so sure?"

"Because the person who just escorted you, Tidus if you don't know, was once similar to you; and to this day he regrets doing it." Sora couldn't help but blink, surprised at the honest and truthful answer. For one moment, Sora actually thought Riku had a good side, until a catlike grin spread over Riku's face "then again, I don't think you even have to wish for him to be here. If I recall correctly, one of the werewolves is becoming quite interested in your dear cousin, and if the interest persists your cousin will soon be joining our ranks, whether he wishes to or not."

At those words, Sora lost his temper. How dare he, how _dare_ Riku first force him to become a vampire, and then just casually stand by as one of his werewolves put Demyx through the same situation. He stood up, knocking over his chair, and pointed an accusing finger at Riku.

"DAMN YOU!" He yelled, allowing his full fury to follow the words. "DAMN YOU, RIKU! How could you do this! How DARE you speak so mockingly of my cousin being dragged into something like this** (1)**! Don't you have any emotion or humanity left in you? Or have you become a blood-sucking monster of the night for so long you've forgotten what it was like?"

"Sora…." The catlike grin was dropped, and a forbidding tone was starting to be picked up, Sora ignored it.

"I bet you think it's all really amusing to you, isn't it! Let me tell you something, only a real monster would find the pain of another amusing! Is this what you brought me up here for! So you can see my reaction when I learn that Demyx is going to be turned against his will too! I can't say anything if he willingly decided to join you, but from what I know of him he wouldn't! So leave him out of whatever sick game you're planning to play!" Sora turned to leave, but really, he should have been watching where he was going.

For one thing, when Riku had pushed aside the books from his desk, some of them had dropped onto the floor. Sora, being the klutz he was, tripped over them and nearly fell. To make things worst, Riku had chosen at the time to remove himself from behind the desk to grab Sora's hand, but not strong enough to stop Sora from falling. Instead, the two boys only succeeded in falling together and ending up in a tangled mess. At some other situation, Sora would find this funny and start laughing, but at the moment he wasn't feeling too happy. He struggled to remove himself from Riku, in the meantime thinking of plenty curses to throw at the silver haired vampire, but he had conveniently forgotten Riku's superior strength. Before he knew it, Sora was flat on his back with Riku straddling his hips, and the vampire lord had Sora's hands pinned above his head in one of Riku's own, while Riku's other free hand grasped Sora's chin so that the two of them could look at each other properly.

"Let me clarify some things," Riku said, and each word released a breath on Sora's face. "First of all, no, I would not take pleasure in forcing a human to become one of the supernatural against his will. I tried that once, and I've promised Tidus to never do it again. You were an exceptional case, but if I had it my way I wouldn't have forced you." Sora tried to throw Riku off, but Riku only settled more firmly on him. Why oh why didn't he ask Tifa to teach him how to get out of positions like this?

"Second of all, emotions and humanity are something that a vampire, a blood-sucking monster if you will, would normally have lost long ago, but once again with Tidus and another selection of individuals I've kept them. I've been able to prevent myself from turning into a bloodthirsty vampire that would have slayers go after me and try to destroy. If anything, I am considered one of the more humane vampires of the century." Some part of Sora wanted to start shouting at Riku or at least spit on his face, but another part of him refined from doing so, curious to what possible information the vampire might give him.

"Thirdly, not _once_ have I found the pain of another amusing. Even amongst enemies, when I am to torture them for information, I am not the one laughing at them. I might mock them, but I don't laugh or smile at seeing them in pain." Sora still hasn't moved an inch from his position, and he promised himself that he would train harder so that he could resist Riku when the time came.

"Lastly, it is only a slight possibility that your cousin would be forced to join us. For vampires or werewolves of our rank, we would consider many factors before turning a human into one of us. As for being forced, I highly doubt that Zexion would break his methods of first convincing your cousin to willingly become a werewolf before turning him." Sora nearly froze, out of all the werewolves it had to be Zexion, the Head of the Pack. Didn't Selphie say that the man was the most manipulative person she had ever met, and that even Riku couldn't match him when coming up with schemes? It was unsettling, and Sora wondered what crime his family had committed in their past lives to have leaders such as Riku and Zexion become interested in them.

"As for the reason I called you up here, Sora, is actually due to a threat we might be facing. I heard from a rather reliable vampire that you might have picked up that we are in a somewhat tense situation with the Guado." Sora looked up, was Riku finally going to give him some information tell him what was going on? Not that the tip off about Zexion wasn't enough information. "To be brief, the Guado is a different race, not a different vampire group, who are engaged in an imperialistic war with the Ronso, another race. From what I've heard, you've already met our Ronso, Kimahri. I won't tell you all the details, but with the war against the Ronso the Guado want to expand their territory and power, and recently Traverse Town seems to be their next target. If they assume power here, I'm sure your pretty cousin, as well as many others, will be forced to submit. The Guado would put this place under military command **(2)**. Now that we've cleared this all up, any more questions or accusations?"

Sora shook his head, and Riku released him. He sat up, and Riku offered a hand out to help him. Sora hesitated, unsure at first, and then took it gingerly. Riku pulled him up quickly, and the amount of force resulted in Sora being pressed tightly over Riku's chest.

"Sora…" Riku sighed "I know you are angry, that you believe I'm not telling you anything. I just don't want to distract you too much yet, you are still a fledgling, adjusting to the ways of a vampire. What's more, I do not wish to get you too deeply involved in these affairs until you are ready. As for your cousin, I can promise you that I will protect him from harm, and to not have any vampire under my command turn him, but the werewolves are a different matter. Despite Zexion being under my command, a vampire cannot tell a werewolf who they can and cannot change. The most I can promise you is to tell Zexion not to force Demyx, but as I said before, Zexion has the patience and time to convince Demyx to join his side."

Sora said nothing, picking up the sincerity in Riku's voice. He didn't like the idea of having a werewolf manipulate Demyx into joining them, but it would no doubt be better then outright forcing His earlier selfishness wasn't forgotten, he knew deep down he would be happier if Demyx was with him again. Briefly, he wondered whether he could offer Tidus an olive branch and have the Medium tell him what happened when he asked Riku to help turn one of his friends to a supernatural being against said friend's will. Maybe he could learn from the Medium's mistakes…

No, he thought, as he rested his head on Riku's chest. It was best not to seal Demyx's fate by his interference, for now, he would see what Demyx and Zexion would do first.

Meanwhile, at Seventh Heaven, the person–who–cannot–be–contacted named Wakka was having a friendly conversation with the girl Namine. Rather neutral topics, as the two had just met, but somehow through the conversation Wakka let it slip that he was living with a friend and 'three rather hyperactive girls', while Namine briefly mentioned that Larxene was her foster sister and that she was under Larxene's care. Conversation took a more interesting turn there, and it wasn't long before Wakka asked her.

"Namine, who were all those people that came when you shouted at those bikers?"

"Oh, them? They're all friends, acquaintances or employees of Dusk Corporation. My sister is the Head of the Human Resources Department in the branch office here.."

"What?"

"You don't believe me?"

"She looks so young…."

"So does many of the Heads there," Namine took a sip out of her drink. Only because a lack of customers allowed her to be sitting down at the moment, otherwise she'd be on her feet filling out orders. "Do you know the history of Dusk Company?"

"Not really."

"It's existed for a while now, but it's only these last few years that it's become so powerful. By now, Dusk Corporation has shares and businesses in almost everything. In fact, if you research carefully enough, you'll find that Traverse Town is just one of the many nearby cities that all have their businesses somewhat linked to Dusk. There's only a branch office here though, the real Dusk Corp is at another city, Hollow Bastion. Anyways, the current main Dusk leaders are all younger then what you'll expect, with an attitude to match, but they're skilled and effective enough to turn the company to something as powerful as it is now. Dusk is also known for helping strengthen the economy some time ago, giving employment and money when the time was dire. So now, the company's successors are held in somewhat high regard, because they're all the children or siblings of the former leaders. They haven't let us down either, as I previously said, they've all made Dusk stronger then ever before."

"Interesting…." Wakka briefly wondered whether Riku knew of this. Tidus once told him that for a vampire lord running a city, it was best to know which humans were also seeking power. He wondered whether Riku was keeping an eye on such humans, or whether he considered them beneath his level. "Then, that man who helped your sister in and then left quickly when he saw the time…?"

"Saix? He, too, is one of leaders here, the Head of Administrative Department; probably _the_ most influential man in the company besides the President. Don't try getting all friendly with him; he hates that as much as Twilight Town's Head of Research and Development does."

"Who may he be?"

"Man named Vexen Kando. You won't see him around much, as I said he works and lives in Twilight Town, and he's the type of guy who prefers to work instead of having to deal with people; the man's only slightly older then Saix."

"You seem to know all the top dogs in Dusk"

"Put it this way….some time ago I met them all personally. With my guardian as one of them, it's not that surprising."

**(1) An echo to what Marluxia said in the last chapter about Demyx 'supposed to be involved' **

**(2) Typical war propaganda and public belief, that the enemy would destroy their society's order. When I toured America and had a chat with a local they told me that there's been a lot of this regarding the war with the Middle East (no offense meant to anyone here, this is merely used to show the paranoia of the people during times of war). **

**So, does anyone catch the significance of Dusk Corp.? Dusk is taken from the fact that it's the most common Nobodies in Kingdom Hearts, so I stole the name. Nearly all Organization XIII members are its heads, and note the nearly; Demyx, Zexion and Roxas isn't one of them. Remaining faithful to the game, the members are leaders and not only do they control a lot of people, but they have high influence in the area. **

**Only a small promotion clip today. When Sora opened his eyes and thought he saw his cousin over him, only to realize it was someone else; that scene was taken from My-HiME or Mai-HiME if you prefer. It was with Mikoto, when she thought she saw her brother after she regained consciousness only to see it wasn't COUGHCOUGHCOUGH. The beginning part with the YRP gang was based on a cantonese drama series named "My Date With A Vampire" season one. I found that one on youtube and then I couldn't find the rest of the episodes (nnoooo...I didn't see the first season! Why can't I see all of it, because I've seen the second season and am currently watching the third) **

**Chapter Six Promotion Anime: My-HiME **


	7. Returning to Previous Problems

**I rushed through this chapter because I think if I don't update soon, you'll all think I've abandoned the story. Content and quality isn't that great, its mostly the reflecting of previous events, but there's a important plot point at the end of the chapter. **

**Previously: The YRP group received some business from Saix of Dusk Corp – To go to a hotel in Guadosalam and dispose of a troublesome unsent. The fairies agreed, on the conditions being free tickets, housing, food, and two more tickets for Wakka and Tidus. On Riku's and Sora's side, Riku finally revealed some information/politics to Sora in regards to their situation with the Guado – as well as tipping Sora off that Demyx might join them soon as a werewolf. Wakka, on the other hand, learned about human 'politics' from Namine, who tells him that Dusk Corp may be lead by young leaders but it has connections to many businesses beyond the area; therefore making it probably the most powerful organization around. **

"_Sora, what are you doing?"_

"_I'm sketching….or at least trying to"_

"_Hum….looks like a wolf"_

"_Yea, I was trying to sketch them earlier, but they wouldn't stay still"_

"_It looks void in the empty space, add some background or shading?"_

"_I don't know….what do you think?"_

"_Me? I wouldn't want to ruin your drawing"_

"_Go on, here's a pencil"_

"_Well…." The hand moved across the page, and as Sora watched a magnificent pair of wings branched off the wolf's body and to the end of the page. He made an awed noise._

"_Wow, you should be an artist at this rate" _

"_An artist? Nah, I already have my goals set elsewhere. I want to be a fighter, a true warrior, someone who can protect their family and friends! If I was this wolf, I'll grow wings, and fly to glory. Then I'll return and take you and mother away from this cursed place."_

"_What about that girl you have a crush on?"_

"_She wouldn't come with me anyways, even if I begged her. You'll come, though, wouldn't you?"_

_Years after, when Sora found the same picture again, it was the only thing that survived the fire that had consumed his cousin's village. Demyx had been upset when he saw Sora crying, and tried to throw the picture away. Sora objected to the idea, knowing it was the only thing left of his dead cousin. _

Now, Sora wished to have something of Demyx's to remember him by. He wondered whether Riku would let him sneak back home to take something as a memoir of sorts, but his logical side stomped on the idea. Demyx wasn't materialistic; he did not buy things frequently unless it was something related to music. If Sora took anything, Demyx would know.

He shook his head, and returned to watching Riku taking only a small amount of blood from a victim so that he didn't have to kill them. Riku was teaching Sora this now, after Sora had insisted on learning how to not kill quickly. Riku, it seemed, wasn't as oppressive as Sora first thought. Perhaps the vampire did have a soft side after all.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"With that, we can take a guess at who the Undefined Vampires are"

"If Cloudy and Aerith are here, then it should be Sephiroth, Kadaj's gang, and possibly Zack"

"So the damn bastards are back, I don't know whether to get pissed, or start laughing hysterically"

"Old man, you're already pissed!"

"What was that!"

"What, it's not true!"

"Cid, Yuffie…" The vampire's calm voice prevented the two werewolves from getting into another loud and – in Vincent's opinion, pointless – fight. At the moment, the three of them were at a corner of their building's restaurant. By appearances, they were three companions indulging in idle chatter – actually, it was Cid and Yuffie yelling or arguing while Vincent simply listened – but they were very wrong. What the three of them were discussing involved their past and possible acquaintance with what Lord Riku had deemed an enemy and already passed the order to kill or capture. This very act was taboo, one is supposed to tell their 'superiors' that they might have information on what was now lawfully an enemy.

It was, however, normal for immortal beings to keep their past hidden. With a long life comes the higher chance of tragedy, and asking about another's past was considered one of the rudest things to do. For the three of them, they keep silent about their past, and brought it up only among each other. They've stopped doing it quickly, as they adjusted to their current lifestyles, but Vincent's recent encounter with a former companion and then learning about another one being around Traverse Town tends to require some serious discussions. Now, with the discussion done and over with, one obvious question remained: What to do next?

"If Sephiroth intends to stay here unlawfully," Vincent said "we can get Riku to send his forces out and have another chance at defeating him, but it will not be that simple. Kadaj's gang could easily bring him back again, and even if we do kill them as well, we cannot guarantee that the Leon's vampires would not kill Cloud or the other two. With what Cloud did to Zell and the trouble he caused with Leon and the pursuers, some vampires might want to do just that. "

"Damn…we can always tell Riku everything first so that he can order an exception to be made. Jeez the kid comes back and the damn trouble returns with him"

"What?" Clearly, Yuffie didn't plan on getting along with Cid today "I say we don't mention this at all! Even if we just tell Riku, Leon and Zexion would soon learn about it, and then there's the Medium to worry about. What's more, what if Riku pulls the 'I'm your leader now not him' attitude that Vampire Lords so love to do? He'll probably order us to play bait and set a trap! He'll have his Medium probe through our minds as well, just to see whether we have been keeping anything else from him!"

"Well, if you have nothing endangering Riku's subjects or territory, I won't say it" Another voice spoke up. Yuffie gave a start, and whirled around to see Tidus standing not too far from her. Her heart nearly stopped beating, how long had he stood there, listening to them? Before she could do something stupid, Vincent spoke up.

"Is there something wrong, Medium?"

Something dark flashed over Tidus' eyes, but it disappeared quickly "do I need a reason to speak?"

"Considering most of the time ya approach someone happens to be when there's something suspicious going on, yea, we'll like to know why you're here" Cid answered. The tone restricted it, but the hostility was still evident. If Tidus was a weaker person, he would have shown hurt, but he wasn't and instead answered evenly.

"Careful, werewolf, I have enough influence to get you punished severally. Or I can claim you as being unstable and have you locked up, even better I could have the authorization to pick at every single part of your mind to see exactly what life you've lead. _Then_ we'll see whether you're suspicious or not."

"You brat…"

"Are we under suspicion of something?" Once again, Vincent's calm voice prevailed. Not that Cid would be actually attacking the other blond, as _that_ would guarantee a mind screen to see whether he was truly hostile and planning a murder or worse, rebellion.

"No, that's the thing." Tidus spread his hands out in exasperation "everybody assumes they're under suspicion every time I approach to say hi"

"We apologize for our behavior" Vincent answered. "Is there any real purpose to your visit then? If not, we will be taking our leave"

Tidus waved them away, and the three seated individuals stood up and left. Left alone, the blond sighed and flopped on a chair. What did he expect, anyways? If he was someone else, even he would be wary when around a person who could sense a person's emotions or know their thoughts if they touched or got too close. People who knew what he was would always be wary of him, and kept their distance. They tend to worry too, whenever Tidus came to talk to them; Tidus knew they felt they were being interrogated with some sort of truth testing.

It was one of the things that had driven him to nearly beg Riku to let him live somewhere else instead of in the same building as all the other supporters. He wouldn't be able to stand feeling the wariness, hostility or contempt that most of the supporters gave off. At least, away from the supernatural centralization, among normal humans who didn't know what he was, he could allow himself to feel normal and make friends with the people next door. With a lesser number of people he was also able to feel fewer emotions that would shock him. Plus, he could at least live with non-human friends that wouldn't mind his ability. Not that he didn't have friends among the supernatural population. He was pretty friendly with some of the cheerful ones; Selphie and Zell, for example, didn't mind having him nearby. As long as he didn't ask them anything or try probing into their minds, they were fine with him being a Medium. Tidus wasn't going to angst about not being welcomed among the more wary vampires. His life was actually built on very simple foundations; His former guardian Auron, his long-time friend Wakka, and to a lesser degree his leader and friend Riku. As long as they were there, Tidus wouldn't go over the edge; as long as they were there, he wouldn't break or go insane. **(1)**

Now, he better get rid of his growing interest in Selphie, or he'll end up risking this stability** (2)**. A trip to Guadosalam might be just the thing to get him distracted. He'll have to ask for a leave first, which was exactly why he was still here in the building. He hoped the fledging wouldn't feed too much or get into some trouble that would delay their return.

"Tidus? Why are you still here?" Speak of the devil, there was Riku coming in, carrying the half sleeping Sora. Through tired eyes the boy peered up at Tidus and gave him a slight wave, before snuggling closer to Riku. Truly, he looked like all Fledglings who adored their master, but as Riku came closer the Medium sensed it was more the 'blood high' then any true adoration. He felt a slight twinge of worry, if Sora refused to cooperate with Riku, things could get really ugly. Why couldn't Riku be more patient like Zexion? Or have more time in his hands?

"I was waiting for you, actually" Tidus replied "Riku, would you mind if I request a vacation?"

"When?"

"As soon as the YRP gang is prepared, and knowing their business trips I'll be away for at least two weeks"

"I see, a trip outside borders, where to?"

"Guadosalam" Catching Riku's look, Tidus continued hastily, not wanting another angry Riku episode "Yes, I know I'll need to be careful, but my identity there is really just tourist. I'll be careful of what I say and not mention at all that I am the Traverse Town Vampire Lord's Medium. To all appearances I would try to look as human as possible. I would stay low and not draw any attention. I'll stay away from the military bases, unless you want me to check. I can see if I can gather any information there."

"...That would be too risky, Tidus. If they catch you, they won't just kill you, they're torture you first."

"If you order me to do it, I'll go accepting that possibility. Not only have you saved my life before, but with the evidence you've got against me, I'm looking at a life behind bars in the supernatural sense anyways. For me, that would be a fate worst then death."

Sora stirred in Riku's arms, his mind fogged and blissfully calm. He uttered Riku's name, quiet and adoring, and missed Riku's reply to his Medium. Sensing his fledgling's sleepiness, Riku exchanged only a few more words before turning to leave. Satisfied, Tidus bid Riku a good rest before leaving as well. At the corner of his eyes he saw Zexion stepping in and Riku quickly engaging the werewolf in a conversation, and he knew Riku wouldn't be getting a good rest so soon.

Elsewhere, a leather gloved hand trailed down the picture frame, slowly like a caress. The owner smirked "He does look a lot like Roxas, doesn't he?"

"No surprises there" His companion said, still seated on the sofa. "They were supposed to be identical twins."

The leather cloaked figure smirked even wider, and turned around to face his companion. "Identical, and so should have been their power. Unfortunately, Sora hasn't awakened, has he?" He spread out his leather gloved hands, gesturing to all the photos surrounding them. "Nothing at all, no indication whatsoever that he's been training. Exactly what have you been doing all those years?"

"I left"

There was a pause, and the leather figure snickered "but you've returned, have you not? Don't give me any bull about it being for Sora's sake, because even before that you allowed Marluxia and Larxene to approach you."

"…"

"Its not like you, to have no comeback."

"I'm talking to _you_, and there's hardly anyone who can argue against you without going insane sooner or later."

The leather figure threw his head back and let out another laugh, "you're being quite cynical right now, you know?" Lowering his head, the young man moved slowly forward. A hand reached out and almost gently brushed against his seated companion's, before he dropped to one knee. Mockingly, not at all humble.

"I have a slight favor to ask of you."

"What's that?"

"See this ring?" Like a magician suddenly producing a bouquet of flowers in his hand, the almost kneeling man made a show of flicking his hand before a silver ring appeared. His seated companion raised an eyebrow.

"Axel, I didn't know you were into jewelry"

"I'm not" The kneeling redhead smirked again as he dropped the ring onto his companion's hand. "This is part of a favor I'm doing for a vampire friend. Now, let's go meet up with Marluxia and Larxene, I have to ask for their help in this too. By the time we've started, you would all be wearing this ring for a while."

His companion looked at him, at the ring, and then held it up to the light "You have some bugging device installed here?"

Axel looked offended "no, I do not! Do I look like some crazed stalker to you?"

"I beg to differ, you kept Roxas away from Sora and I because you think I'm trying to steal him away from you, I'm only the boy's cousin"

"Deadly enough threat for me, Demyx"

"So possessive; remember that once I see or find him, the game's up. You'll tell me everything, superior or no" The musician stared back evenly into the pyromaniac's eyes. Said pyromaniac only smirked and stood up, carefully stepping over the broken glassware on the floor.

"Shall we go now?"

"You ask so politely now, when just a while ago you broke in here through the window so rudely" _Insurance better cover that… and all the broken furniture here… and that beautiful vase, cost so much... Namine and Sora would freak..._

"How would you like me to make up for it, then?"

"Let me have dinner before I do this?"

"No problem," Axel stepped back when he felt Demyx shift away.

"Good, because I'm sooooo hungry" There was almost a whine in that voice now, ah, the old Demyx was back.

"Make sure you're dressed properly, you won't be allowed into Dusk's banquet rooms like that"

"Wow…you get fat because you always eat things like that"

"Hey, I'm not fat"

"Well, as long as I can eat and recover quickly, it makes no real difference what I'm eating…" From the broken vase, the puddle of water started flowing towards the musician. Axel casually pulled out something from his pocket.

"Make sure you're not messing up the orders this time," Axel said as the water roused and engulfed the musician from his sight. Just as casually he tossed the pack of cards forward "Number IX" A leather gloved hand, similar to Axel's own, caught the cards easily.

"Okay, okay" Demyx practically sang as he stood up, now dressed in the leather cloak almost exact same to Axel's own. He removed the rubber band and flicked the cards out, like a fan, looking at Axel over the rim "As you wish, Number VIII"

**(1) Foreshadowing right here, remember this sentence. **

**(2) Question, readers: Why do people keep pairing Tidus and Selphie up? Did I miss something in the game? **

**Been so long since my last update, sorry! No I have not abandoned this story; if I did I would leave a note saying so. Anyways, Promotion Anime today should have been a manga, but now it's been animated. It's the ending scene between Axel and Demyx. Chapter 42 titled 'Three Men and a Child'. D GRAY-MAN FANS, THE ANIME IS NOW OUT! THE DEATHNOTE ANIME IS ALSO OUT! HIGURASHI NO NAKU KORO NI MAY BE OVER BUT NOW WE HAVE TWO EXCELLENT ANIMES TO REPLACE IT! **

**If anyone can tell me where to download the DeathNote movie or anime SUBBED, I'll really appreciate it. Because I saw the first episode raw, and I am no Japanese speaker so I didn't understand it. **

**Chapter Seven Promotion Anime: D. Gray-Man**


	8. Jenova and Dusk

**This chapter will prove what Tifa mentioned in the first chapter, that Reno and Axel are so alike they could be mistaken for the other. **

**Previously: Vincent, Cid and Yuffie now know who the Undefined Vampires are, but are planning to keep it quiet. Tidus has permission from Riku to leave for Guadosalam, but it is unclear whether Riku has ordered Tidus to see if he can find out anything about the Guado's war plans. Axel paid a visit to Demyx, and it is revealed the two of them knew each other in the past before Demyx left for reasons unclear. It appears that Demyx and Axel knew that Sora and Roxas were 'powerful', but Sora has received none of the training Roxas apparently has. Axel has also asked Demyx for help in a favor he plans to give Aerith, meaning that Aerith might be moving soon to capture the Werewolf Leader. **

Yazoo strode through the streets coolly, purposeful and annoyed. He reached Seventh Heaven Bar quickly, and once inside he scanned the crowd. When he found who he was looking for, he frowned and moved forward, yanking the other man to his feet and hissing to him "why are you here?"

His brother, Loz, glared back at him "did He send you after me?"

"No, He doesn't know yet" Yazoo answered "you haven't answered my question. The order was that we stay away from all of brother's former friends and allies, _why are you here in Tifa Lockhart's bar_? Do you _want_ us to be discovered?"

"You're one to talk" Loz answered "you're having one of Riku's vampires as your play thing, are you not? What was the name, Zell Dincht? You didn't kill him, or use him as an informant; in fact to him you are the closest to being a friend. Are you getting attached, Yazoo? Not a good idea, how do you know he isn't using you as an informant?"

"I'll let you know that to him, I am a mere human friend. He doesn't know I am a vampire, he doesn't know who or what I truly am. With _you_, you are befriending Tifa Lockhart, someone who knows who we are, someone who was formerly an enemy and could still be one right now! She might be passing information to somebody else"

"If I have, you would all be dead by now" Tifa moved back behind the counter and stood across from them. "I may know next to nothing about what you all have been doing, but I have occasionally kept contact with my former companions. If I told them that the Seven Undefined Vampires are our former enemies, two comrades and one possible ally, do you not think Cid or Yuffie would at least start secretly looking for information? They might keep quiet to their leaders, true, but they'll comb through the city themselves, looking for clues that would lead them to Cloud or Aerith. They might seize the opportunity to get back at Sephiroth, and while they're at it see if they could get rid of you as well. Frankly, I would love to tell them that you're all here, but I won't."

"Let me guess" Yazoo said sarcastically "because to you, Loz has apparently changed and is a good man?"

"No, because I promised someone I won't say they're back"

"I knew it! It was sister, wasn't it?" Neither of them noticed the disappointed flash in Loz's eyes. "Exactly how long have you been in contact wither her? How much has she told you?"

"What part of 'I know next to nothing' do you not understand? Aerith may hate her current position now, but playing traitor to the one that brought her and Zack back into this world is something she'll never do. Unless something happens, she will generally obey her Vampire Lord's orders. The same should be with Loz; you of all people should know that you three will never turn your backs to your 'Great General Sephiroth'."

"If brother could be swayed, then you might do the same with Loz" Despite the words, Yazoo released his grip on Loz and turned away. "The next time you come here, Loz, its best not to call attention to yourself. I overheard a stranger talking about you as being this bar's newest bodyguard of sorts – they said that when some bikers tried to start a fight you stepped out to support Tifa when it looked as if it was going to break out. You better hope He didn't hear that, you don't want to be punished again for the same mistake." **(1)**

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"From today on, vampires, werewolves, and all those of you who support Lord Riku, your rounds will be done with another purpose" Zexion announced to the gathered crowd in the auditorium. "Finally now we have the identity of not one, but two Undefined Vampires. Your rounds, and those afterwards, will all be done along with the purpose of seeing whether we can find out any more information on the these trespassers that could lead to their possible capture. Now, I will let the Vampire Commander speak, Leon, if you will"

Zexion retreated, and Leon stepped up. He stared at the crowd with authority before he spoke "I know, many of you here have been restless with the trespassers being here, and the situation with the Guado isn't helping anything. Many of you speak of failings with the higher ups; many of you wish to do _something_ soon, and though the injuries our comrades received recently have been little you are all angry. Remember, though, not to kill any one of the Undefined Vampires until we have caught all seven, because we still need them to gain information about their purpose. We will make an example of those trespassers, that all those who try to fight against us will never win. Riku's forces have always been praised by the other lords and leaders, and it will remain this way!"

"Here, here!" The crowd chorused, and stood up clapping their hands. The loud cheering made Riku, who was approaching the stage, thought of the possibility that it might wake Sora up. Actually, that wasn't possible, the walls around here were made to muffle the noise from the outside; that and Sora was sleeping at the very top floor while the auditorium was at the bottom. He went up the stage and the clapping stopped, the crowd waiting for his words. Riku drew out a sphere, and spoke to the crowd.

"This is a memory of what happened during Zell Dincht's and a few other's encounter with Undefined Vampire Number Three, all of you will now see for yourself what happened, as many of you failed to keep up with the vampire" A few in the crowd winced, but no one paid much attention as the sphere glowed and the surroundings changed.

Suddenly, everyone in the room was back in the graveyard. On a staircase nearby were Zell and Undefined Vampire Number Three, with a mangled pile of what was formerly a human between them. Cid and Yuffie fought to keep their expressions blank at the sight of their former friend and companion. As they watched things take a turn for a worst, though, it was getting harder and harder. They watched how coolly Cloud attacked Zell before backup arrived, with Vincent personally interfering, and then the pursuit. The rats Cloud summoned took the vampires by surprise, as no doubt none of them had seen something like it. The memory wasn't taken from Leon's mind, because they couldn't hear the conversation between Cloud and Leon. Yuffie doubted any of the vampires noticed because they were too busy focusing on the battle instead. Besides, by appearances they were probably throwing typical insults or threats.

When the memory finished playing, Riku spoke again "now that you have seen what the trespasser looks like, as well as what his skills are like with the sword and rats, I expect you all to take this into consideration should you ever see him again. Remember too that unlike with Zell, you are to wait for backup before engaging in battle. Clearly, the level of this vampire is high, and above the majority of you. What's more, the chance that he isn't even their leader is great, for all we know he could be the weakest one of them all. Therefore, all of you are to be on high alert, keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Underestimate no one, understand?"

"Aye!"

"As for Undefined Vampire Seven, little to no information is available. On that note, take notice of any young woman with long brown hair and green eyes who might respond to the name Aerith Gainsborough."

Riku turned and left the stage, while the audience started leaving the auditorium. One of his more recent elite vampires, a rather skinny vampire going by the name of Wedge, came up to him asking whether he should go to the human police to see if they any information. Riku wasn't sure whether it would help, since many vampires tend to create false identities and addresses frequently to avoid having anyone notice they were not aging at all. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try, so he agreed. Wedge gave a small bow before joining the crowd in the leaving the room. The quickest ones out were the ones who had to do their rounds now, and they quickly poured out to the streets. There they scattered and went about their rounds, a few of them passing the very place Undefined Vampire Number Three was in.

"KO" A machine's voice in the building announced.

"Wow, cool comeback!"

"That was awesome!"

"Best match I've ever seen!"

This certain arcade –named Lad be Knight** (2)** – was one of the hottest hangout places for the youth. Close to the mall and near several residences, it was an excellent place for attracting customers. Specializing in real physical movement, it was made most popular by its high tech fighting games. It's most popular attractions were the games where players were actually moving with the characters. Aside from the usual fighting matches where one would stand in a circle and move, and the character in the game would copy the movement **(3)** to fight the opponent; the more technologically advanced games where ones that would have wires attached to the body and then have a helmet on to see everything that was 'in' the game, allowing a feeling of actually being the character _in_ the game, was uncommon in the area. Several variations of this were in the arcade, and the youth liked to watch or participate in the competitions.

Right now, a crowd of them was watching a match that had been going on for some time. The players were playing a simple one on one match, and their game was one where they wore helmets and a special suit to capture their movement – with the addition only of them having swords to fight with. Physically they were not having any contact with each other, the screen's players showed an entirely different story where the two were fighting quite aggressively. The two of them were also quite good, so barely any damage was done to the other; even with all the advanced moves the two played. Finally, the smaller figure managed a comeback that had the other screen player flat on his back missing a sword, and the match was over. Physically, the two were still standing, though sweating and panting quite heavily now.

With the match finally over, the player who had lost was allowed to remove his helmet. Sweaty spiky black hair and tired lavender eyes revealed to the more recent observers who one of the players were "whoa, I don't think I have that serious of a workout for a while."

The other player dropped the sword to the floor and removed his own helmet; gelled black hair was now just as sweaty. "You're slacking off again, Zack. One of these days one of your customers here will beat you"

"So far, you're the only one that's beaten me!" Zack Knightblade pushed his hair out of his eyes before turning to the awe-struck audience "okay, no more show! Off you go with your own games!" The crowd listened, falling off to smaller groups playing their own games. Some of the more regular customers gave Zack, the owner of the arcade, a wave before leaving. Once nobody was paying attention to them, Zack's fighting partner spoke up.

"There's others who could beat you"

"But they don't come here to challenge me" Zack stretched and looked at his companion "the hair dye is working really well, I saw some of Riku's vampires among the crowd, and they didn't recognize you."

Cloud nodded, running his fingers through his now black hair. As soon as he was free from his confinement, Zack had helped him fix his hair so that he wouldn't be recognizable to the vampires. First they tried to gel it down to take away the trademark spikes, but it made Cloud appeared like Rufus and the idea caused them to change their mind. That, and Cloud seriously doubt Reno would like seeing him wearing Rufus' appearance. Zack then decided to dye the hair black, but the spikes were just too recognizable, so they added the gel again. Zack told Cloud maybe they should actually cut his hair, but he had refused. Zack then said he could go buy some silver hair dye, but Cloud told him that was highly expensive and it could always backfire and turn him simply gray and old, so black it was.

"You'll have to make some deliveries soon, go back and take a shower first. The hair dye will wash out, so once you're done remember to reapply it."

"Of course" Cloud stepped off the platform and walked out of the arcade. He rode Fenrir back home, passing by several vampires and werewolves along the way, none of whom recognized him.

When he passed by Yazoo along the way, he knew he passed by more then just mere vampires and werewolves.

As Yazoo walked down the streets, he sensed someone following him. He scowled and increased his speed, hearing the other do the same. He increased it further and heard the other follow. Almost quickly he turned and dived into a corner, reaching for his gun to confront the person, only to quickly put it away when his follower came in "you run too fast!"

Zell Dincht grinned at him, panting. Yazoo knew it was an act, since an elite vampire like Zell wouldn't tire from that little run so easily. He played along "Zell, why were you sneaking up on me?" He knew Zell wasn't trying to sneak up on him either; a vampire would've been much quieter when they actually tried to sneak up on someone. Although, considering Yazoo's Jenova Vampire Status, he would know if Zell ever displayed hostile tendencies towards him when trying to sneak up **(4)**.

"No reason at all" Zell answered "just wanted to hang out." Yazoo briefly smirked at Zell's quick recovery from Cloud's attacks – quicker then any normal vampire. He knew Zell recovered at a rate almost similar to his own, similar to a Jenova Vampire's recovery rate.

"Well, where do you want to go this time?" Zell's eyes lit up.

"You're not busy?"

"No"

"Then can we go to Lad be Knight Arcade again? Come on, you know the owner and he lets us play for reduced costs!"

Yazoo nodded, and allowed himself to be dragged by the blonde to the arcade. Normally he would not let this type of behavior happen to him, but Zell was an exception. Quickly he thought of Loz and Tifa, wondering whether his brother thought of Tifa as an exception to everything they had been taught; just like what he was doing with Zell. At least with Zell, Sephiroth had a general idea of what Yazoo was doing. Note the 'general', and not 'fully'.

"I don' think I've had that much fun in a while, and I actually had some good challenges! I love the arcade; I'm actually physically fighting other people without really harming them! The owner was cool too, he sure could fight! I didn't get to challenge him but I sure wish I'll have a chance this time…" Yazoo stopped listening when he glimpsed spiky red hair. Automatically his pupils drew into slits and he was tempted to bear his vampire fangs.

Reno.

Though the hair was longer and spikier then ever, it had to be him. Trying to calm himself, he turned to Zell "I just remember I have to do something first, you go ahead, I'll catch up"

"Are you busy after all…?" Zell's words faded off when Yazoo started petting his head.

"Off you go, I'll be there soon" A comforting tone, rare to hear from the silver haired man. Zell found himself nodding and moving away, despite his more stubborn and louder side protesting. Once he was well out of sight, Yazoo moved quickly.

Reno was talking to another person, and they both appeared to be casually hiding in the shadows as they walked on the streets. Both were dressed in leather, though nowhere as detailed as the ones Yazoo and his brothers wore. As he followed them, Yazoo considered whether he should wait till the two separated, but then found he didn't care. He sensed the stranger was not vampire, werewolf, or any typical supernatural being, so he must be mortal. Letting out a snort, he drew out Velvet Nightmare and fired.

He didn't expect Reno to suddenly grab his companions sleeve and jump aside. The bullet embedded itself on the wall, and 'Reno' let out a curse as he turned and looked at Yazoo "What was that for!"

"It appears that you are more forgetful then you originally were, if you can't even remember me, Reno." Yazoo fired another shot, and the redhead jumped out of the way again. Yazoo didn't wait, he jumped into the air and fired off several more shots, none of which found their target as Reno dodged every single one of them. At a pause, 'Reno' spoke up.

"I really didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice" To Yazoo's surprise, fire suddenly sprang out of the ground, and he had to jump back several times to avoid the scorching flames. He saw Reno's companion raise a hand, but the redhead shook his head "no, let me deal with this, you're still injured" The hand was lowered, and Yazoo used the opportunity to fire off several more shots. A wall of flame rose and prevented them from landing on his opponents. The redhead frowned and moved forward, and as he did so a pair of chakrams appeared in his hands.

"Just to clear this up," he smirked "it's Axel, A-X-E-L, got it memorized?" He could sense Demyx grinning at that, probably thinking to himself that the redhead hasn't changed at all, before Axel attacked.

He had to give credit to the silver haired stranger though, who managed to avoid all this attacks as easily as Axel avoided the bullets. Flames roared and bullets whizzed by, but they were barely injured as they jumped into the air, ran along the flames, and occasionally threw a punch or kick at the other. By now, both of them knew the other wasn't mortal, but nor were they typical supernatural creatures either. It was also by this time that, noticing the green slit-like eyes and vampire fangs with the silver hair, 'Reno', who was actually Axel, realized it was a Jenova Vampire he was dealing with. Somehow, it made him excited, he had never fought Aerith and now being given a chance to fight these much more powerful vampires was more then he could ever hope for. Roxas was going to pay attention about _this_.

Several streets away, when it had been time for the café to close and the bar to open, Larxene decided she was healthy enough to leave. She thanked the bar owner for letting her rest, bid Namine and Wakka goodbye, and left the bar. Then she had stopped by the library to look at some books, where she had bumped into Roxas.

"Good to see you, Larxene"

"Roxas, you're reading another book? You're spending too much time on books instead of people; it's not good for you"

"As if you truly cared"

"Now that was hurtfully unnecessary"

"My apologies"

"You're pretty sour, Axel bugging you again?"

Now that was a topic Roxas could spend hours talking about, but knowing Larxene would either not care or have a good laugh about it, he simply answered "as usual"

"Well, you know the guy; it's his way of showing affection"

"Affection I could do without"

"Anyways, I'm heading back to grab a bite, you hungry?"

"If it's at Dusk Banquet, I'll come"

"Then let's go, if you're signing any books out, help me sign this too would you?" Roxas took the book back silently and signed it out among a few others. Larxene called for her car, and by the time they stepped out of the library a limo was outside waiting for them. The chauffeur opened the door for them and the two of them slipped in quietly. Once inside, Roxas shifted uncomfortably, and Larxene noticed.

"Don't tell me that you're uncomfortable here"

"No, it's comfortable enough; I guess I'm still adjusting to it"

"Ah, Axel prefers the sport cars, if I remembered correctly. Do you find this too slow? Are you too used to the speed usually required when going somewhere?"

"No, I'm fine going at this speed"

"Why are you always denying yourself?" Roxas didn't know whether Larxene was talking about being driven in a sports car, or if she was discussing about his relationship with the driver of said sports car. He therefore chose to remain silent, but Larxene apparently wasn't planning on staying silent over the issue.

"Since you've joined us Axel has been nothing but, well, not exactly kind but at least caring towards you. I honestly don't see why you two are where you at now. To me its obvious that you two should be together! I mean…"

"This isn't one of your stories, Larxene" Roxas interrupted. "You can't throw in some problems and then have a situation where we realize how good looking the other is and then fall head over heels over each other…"

"He likes you!" Larxene objected "and I _know_ you like him back…"

"I _like_ him?" Roxas laughed bitterly "I don't _like_ him, nor does he _like_ me either…"

"Why do you keep insisting on that?"

"Larxene, _you don't use the people you love_, and he clearly used me"

"You know how stupid he can be; maybe he didn't realize how things would have turned like" The limo finally pulled to a stop. A man who had formerly been standing by the building's doors approached and opened the car door for them. Larxene and Roxas stepped out, went inside the building, up an elevator, and finally entered the Dining Hall. The two of them took some food to Larxene's usual spot and settled down to eat. During the meal Larxene started talking about what she deemed as 'unhealthy, denied love', but Roxas refused to answer so she finally dropped the subject. Once they were finished, Roxas looked out the large window at the streets below.

"Riku's forces look rather agitated these last few days"

"No surprises there" Larxene said as she took out her laptop computer "they are restless with their Undefined Vampires running around, let's see whether anything special has been happening" Because Roxas was sitting across from her, he couldn't see what she typed in, but from the swirling colours reflected in the woman's pale face he knew it was probably something he wouldn't comprehend. At last, a voice emitted from the screen.

"All of Riku's supporters now know who two of the seven Undefined Vampires are. It seems as if one of them is a former acquaintance of the vampire commander's. Oh that note, according to rumors, the other Undefined Vampire might be a former friend of sorts to the infamous Vincent Valentine, though it is unclear how close their relationship was. That vampire had been identified to be male, with blond hair and blue eyes. He is skilled with the sword and has an unnatural control over rodent-like creatures such as rats or bats. The other vampire is female, with brown hair and green eyes. She may have gone by the name Aerith Gainsbourgh once"

"This is interesting" Larxene murmured, she looked up at Roxas "though strange, as the vampires ought to be happy that they finally got some lead."

"Despite only having a brief battle with the commander, Undefined Vampire Number Three seriously wounded one of Riku's elite vampires and during the pursuit, has clearly shown he is way above their level. The vampires should have expected it as the Undefined Vampires have been hiding for so long without leaving a trace, but it was probably still a shock for them. Especially taking into account he once seemed to be an easy target, what with his victims all being in the Midgar section and all."

"Any other news?" Roxas couldn't help but ask. Larxene threw him a sharp look, reminding him that this was _her_ spy and that he really had no right to ask, but were they not all on the same boat?

"Though it is not common knowledge, Riku's Medium has asked for a vacation and Riku has agreed. He is going to be accompanying the YRP gang to Guadosalam. Riku could have ordered him to gather information or destroy some bases, as Maester Seymour is currently in Traverse Town with his own supporters. As for Riku himself, he has taken a new fledgling, a boy by the name of Sora. That's about it"

"Thank you" Larxene closed the laptop computer and leaned back. Roxas took a sip from his glass and spoke up

"Well, that was informative"

"So it would seem, I already knew the Guado part, though I'm surprised at their discovery of Undefined Vampire Number Three. To think I just saw him not long ago!"

"They found him, this really concerns me, maybe when he visits us I'll tell him to stay."

"Nah, Cloud's allies should have done something by now. They'll probably lock him up and tell him to stay away from the outside until things have cooled."

"There's also the chance that they will kill him. We don't know anything about Cloud's kind; we don't know who his Vampire Lord is or what his allies are like."

"I doubt it, as our spy here" Larxene tapped on the laptop "said, they've found information on Undefined Vampire Number Seven. Her body hasn't been found, so she should be still alive and just staying low for the moment. On that note…" A calculating smile passed over Larxene's face "they've done the work for us. Aerith Gainsborough, was it? The name already sounds strangely familiar to me; let's see if we can use the company's power to find out anything." She reached for her laptop again, but a voice interrupted her.

"Do that and die, Larxene."

"Cloud!" Larxene exclaimed, springing to her feet. "Don't do that! Have a seat, and _whoa_ what's with your hair?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The Jenova vampire answered as he sat down on a chair. "As of the moment, it's my disguise. So, besides you trying to find another Undefined Vampire, what have I missed?" Roxas' face split into a rare grin. He dived into his bag and pulled out some sheets of paper and textbooks.

"My homework is due tomorrow, help me"

Cloud blinked, and scowled "are you not one of the brightest students in class? I didn't go to one of this era"

Larxene's face also split into a grin as she grabbed one of Roxas' books "Looks like another all nighter!" She sang, unnaturally cheerful.

"Hey…" Cloud turned and threw Larxene a dark look "don't tell me you called me up here into Dusk Company for homework instead of deliveries…"

In the end, Cloud was forced to help out after all. As he read one of Roxas' textbooks while eating some of the food, he noticed Larxene sending him strange looks "yes?"

"Its nothing" Larxene said, "its just…well, vampires could only drink blood. They can't take in other food; eventually they'll throw it all up. You, on the other hand, could sometimes substitute food with blood. I don't really get it, and sometimes I feel strange knowing I've seen you feed off a human when you're eating normal food"

"I'm a Jenova Vampire, that's your answer"

"That's the answer you give to every strange trait of yours. You could go out in sunlight, you heal and move much faster even when compared to a vampire, your senses are even sharper then a normal vampire's, and that strange ability of yours with the animals! Scratch that, I've seen a _lot_ of strange abilities from you already!" Cloud waved her away with a butter knife.

"Jenova Vampire" He wrote down an answer with his other hand and closed the book. "Roxas, I've written the answers on this sheet. Copy them yourself, the last thing we need is your instructor noticing the work isn't your writing. I've got to go now" He stood up and headed out for the door, but Roxas called out.

"Cloud!" He shouted, and the former blonde turned to look back at him "thanks for helping me out."

Cloud smiled "we're family, after all"

**(1) Remember in the second chapter, Aerith mentioned a time that Loz disobeyed Sephiroth's orders?****  
(2) ****Anagram right here, it's the name Knightblade with the letters rearranged  
(3) ****This was an experience for me once; I was at this arcade that had this. The games following it are fictional on my account, so if its already a reality just leave me a note in your review  
(4) ****This is not saying that Jenova Vampires could sense other vampires' emotions as that is only possible with a Medium, but it is going to tie in with what Cloud said about Zell being a guinea pig in Chapter Four _Unique Introductions _**

**Ohohoho! So, what do you readers think of _that_ ending? Perhaps not as dramatic as the last one with Demyx and Axel, but it's another revolutionary piece of plot info to think about. So, exactly what does Cloud mean by saying they're family? Is he perhaps just saying they're as close as family, or are they truly related? If so, why doesn't Sora know about him? **

**Today's Promotion Anime is the same as last time's because, to be blunt, I'm starting to have trouble combining the anime I've watched/read into my story. I love the Millennium Earl and the Noah Family, some of my favourite villains of all time. This was from Chapter 43 entitled Cackling with Laughter, when Cloud and Larxene were helping out with Roxas' homework. I know, maybe I should have done it with Demyx since he was playing Tiki's role last chapter, but I need to establish that Roxas and Cloud were connected sooner or later. **

**Chapter Eight Promotion Anime: D. Gray-Man**


	9. Ring Around a Rosie

**This chapter is dedicated to Mandy, my classmate from school who gave me more then one review and proceed to bug me about it every time in class. Honestly, you should start your own account in fanfiction, dear. Then you can write all the LozTifa and YazooReno you want instead of bugging me about it EVERY CLASS! **

**Previously: Loz and Yazoo are friends of who should be their enemy, Tifa and Zell respectively. All of Riku's forces now know what Cloud looks like and have been placed under alert. In response Zack, who is revealed to own an arcade named Lad be Knight, dyed and gelled down Cloud's hair. Zell and Yazoo were going to the very same arcade when Yazoo sees something and takes off, telling Zell to go ahead. The 'something' was 'Reno' talking with someone, but when they engaged in battle the redhead reveals himself to not be Reno, but Axel. Larxene and Roxas have a meal in Dusk Banquet and Cloud joins them. He soon departs, but not before acknowledging Roxas as 'family'. **

To all appearances, the unsent instructor Auron was watching the vampires in the gym train. The vampires were praticing some combined moves, moving at the same time and speed in complicated, circular movements - Meant to be used if they were surrounded by a larger enemy. Riku, who was approaching him, knew Auron wasn't watching anything at all. There was something about Auron that would tell you he was deep in thought, and any normal person (or supernatural being, if you want to be picky) would know not to interrupt, but Riku wasn't any normal person.

True, maybe knocking on the man's shoulder was a bit disrespectful, but Auron didn't react when Riku first called for him. That, and Riku was technically Auron's superior. "Did you think I made the wrong decision?"

The man turned and looked at Riku almost sternly, but the effect was lost on the boy, so Auron spoke "you allowed him to go to Guadosalam."

"Yes"

"After he had a fight with Seymour Guado?"

"Kimahri told you?"

"Before that, I've already been hearing rumors, he simply confirmed it. Riku, normally I do not object to your decisions, and often I encourage Tidus to see more of the world and what life is like, but sending him to Guadosalam is suicide. Even if the general population does not know him, those in power would recognize him easily. How do you know that Seymour hasn't already informed those in Guadosalam? Knowing Tidus, do you seriously think he wouldn't try to gather some information to bring back?"

"He wouldn't"

"Riku, you were Tidus' friend once, you know he would willing choose to risk his life for you"

"Are you suggesting that I sent him there with orders to play spy? No, Auron, I'm not that heartless. Tidus was there before I even became a Vampire Lord; I'm not going to send him to die over such matters. My order to him was, in fact, to just play tourist. He is to pretend that he a normal mortal visiting Guadosalam, not a supernatural being, and definitely not Vampire Lord Riku's Medium."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Here we are, heeeellllllloooooo Guadosalam!" Rikku shouted.

"About time, I was getting bored on the airship!" Paine remarked.

"We should go get out luggage now!" Yuna called out, though she wasn't moving from her spot as she stared out at the view. A whoosh from beside her announced the presence of her other companions.

"No matter, we've already got them!" Tidus shouted cheerfully as he pushed a cart full of luggage out of the airport, chased by a rather disheveled Wakka.

"Hey, hey, hey Tidus! Slow down, you'll run into something!" He shouted. The blonde merely laughed, still running off with the luggage.

The YRP gang, in their human forms since the beginning of the trip, looked at each other and burst into giggles. "Well, Wakka looks like he's having fun." Rikku giggled as they watched the redhead trying to chase after the blonde.

Yesterday while Tidus was receiving permission from his Vampire Lord to leave, the YRP gang had finished their packing and tried contacting to Wakka, yet by the time Tidus returned they still haven't found him. Nevertheless, they had sat down, discussed plans and made some phone calls based on the assumption that Wakka would come. At a good sense of timing when the tickets arrived, so did Wakka.

Tidus had quickly tackled the other boy, demanding to know why he was out so late. Wakka at first tried to dismiss the subject, but finally admitted he was out 'talking with a girl'. The YRP gang then joined in the relentless questioning, and by the time Wakka managed to straighten out that it was only a conversation, that there was no romantic interests, that she was a nice girl that only worked in Seventh Heaven Café and not Bar, it was pretty late. The YRP gang _then_ told Wakka they were going to Guadosalam, that he had no time to pack, and they'll just buy everything for him when they get to Guadosalam okay? Wakka hadn't been too happy about the idea, but over time passed the sulk. After all, it was rather hard to be annoyed about a trip that paid everything for you when the quality was still high.

"Tidus, stop running around like that!" He shouted over the noise, big-brother complex showing. The blonde was apparently excited enough to run in what appeared to be circles around him and the luggage, unable to stand still and wait.

"Can't help it!" Tidus shouted back, now grabbing Rikku's hand and twirling them both in circles, earning a giggle. "Too much energy built up from all the sitting down I had to endure on the airship!"

If they were some place else, Wakka would have told him that he must be used to sitting through Riku's meetings, but he bit the comment down. They were at Guadosalam, and saying something like that was bound to reveal Tidus' identity. He watched Tidus and Rikku swing and dance around before he shouted "Hey you guys! You're about to hit someone!" He cringed when the comment came too late, and the two blonds collided with several Guado walking by. The reaction was quick.

Immediately one of still standing Guado drew out his weapons and pointed them at Tidus while another did the same to Rikku. A third and fourth sprang to their feet and seized the two blonds, and should have rendered them immobile had not Rikku instantly reacted. Before the Guado could blink, a swift kick delivered to his midsection sent him reeling back a few steps. Only when two other Guado grabbed her could she be restrained. Tidus and Rikku stopped struggling as the other Guado pointed their weapons at them, the only exception being the one who was slowly getting up to his feet.

"Who are you?" One of the armed Guado demanded. "Why did you attack Lord Orion?"

"We weren't attacking him!" Rikku exclaimed, silencing only when the blade by her throat drew closer.

"Calm down, guard" The Guado who was slowly getting up said as he dusted himself off "I appear to be unharmed at the moment, and those two do not seem hostile to me. Although…" His eyes studied the two blonds "anyone with the right background would know of weapons that do not activate until later"

Rikku and Tidus tried hard to suppress their instincts when in a hostile situation. Despite the danger, the two were already calculating the odds and they both knew if they tried, they could get out of their current prisoner-like status. Guadosalam was a place openly showing its supernatural population, if Rikku changed into a fairy there wouldn't be a commotion over it. Tidus could conjure his weapon out too, but doing so would cast suspicion over the whole group, so they resisted. Luckily, the others arrived before anything drastic happened.

"My Lord Orion," Yuna began "please, they mean no harm. We are only tourists here, and are not involved in anything that would be hostile to you."

"The two of them were just too excited about being here that they accidentally ran into you," Paine said. "We apologize for their behavior"

"Besides," Wakka continued "if we meant you harm, don't you think we'll be more careful about it? Or start fighting back by now?"

"Ha!" A young Guado guard sneered "If you were trying to have us underestimate you…." He silenced when his leader raised a hand.

"That's alright" He said, then redirected his attention to the group "For now, I will overlook this incident. I hope you have a good time here, tourists. In the meantime, pay attention to the signs that mark the area off bounds." Going back to his guards, he continued "release them, and let us leave." He turned and walked away. The guards took a bit longer to slowly release the prisoners and follow. Once the Guado were well out of sight, Paine groaned.

"Nice going, you two, now we've caught the attention of Orion Guado" she said.

"Who is he, by the way?" Wakka asked.

"Lord Orion Guado, one of those in power, almost just below Lord Seymour Guado." Tidus answered "He is well known for his skills and fanatical dreams about conquering lands and oceans so that the Guado will become the most powerful nation in the world. Dangerously loyal to Seymour too, he'll agree to anything the man says. That's a dangerous combination if you think about it."

"Is that information you should report back? That Orion is back in Guadosalam?" At those words, Tidus gave him a light whack on the head.

"Shush! Somebody might hear us, more importantly; Riku's ordered me to pay no attention to such affairs. If I tried gathering information and get caught, my identity is enough excuse for the Guado to declare Riku as hostile and cause some trouble – in the worst case scenario being war. If I wasn't Riku's Medium I could've done it, but as I am, I'm to stay away from anything that might incriminate us. Remember that now" he moved away back to their luggage.

Wakka stared after him, back at where the Guado had been seconds ago, then shrugged and followed the blonde.

Back at Traverse Town, the hostility between two other parties was starting to get out of hand. By now, the area they were in was ruined. If the property wasn't ridden with bullets, it was scorched by fire. When the two parties thought about it later, they will consider that nobody coming to check the noise was one of the greatest mysterious in the world.

Yazoo and Axel had only fought for a few minutes, but because of the intense physical activity and strain it could have been hours. By now, Yazoo knew that the redhead he was fighting wasn't Reno. Despite the similar appearances their ways of fighting were too different. He had considered the possibility of Reno being turned, but if that had really happened there would be some clues telling him so since some Mako traits were bound to show up when mixed with mutations 'below their level', as Mother's voice would say. Yazoo briefly thought of leaving the fight, since his opponent wasn't one who shared similar genes, but it had been so long since he had such a good fight.

For Demyx, who was only observing the fight, he felt the thrill of excitement and power the two of them gave off. There was something fascinating about watching two skilled fighters also using their supernatural abilities to fight. Rings of fire danced in Axel's command, while Yazoo had a way of disappearing from one spot and reappearing to the other. Once, when the two of them were close enough, Yazoo's hand glowed and shaped into a wolf's head, and Axel would have lost an arm if he hadn't jump back from the snapping fangs fast enough **(1)**.

"If neither of you are fighting a desired opponent, why continue this battle?" A voice mocked. There was a momentary pause in action as the new comer approached. Green eyes, similar to Yazoo's, gleamed from a curtain of silver hair. A more childlike face regarded them, but the eyes spoke volumes of cruelty and savageness. With his presence, Yazoo knew that he didn't have to worry about any surprise attack from the Reno-look-alike, so he lowered his gun. "Kadaj…"

"Kadaj?" Axel turned to look at the newcomer through the wall of flame, "Don't you own that weapons shop down by…" Axel's eyes flickered from Kadaj to Yazoo, before he let out a bark of laughter "Ha! Interesting, let me guess, you're a Jenova Vampire too? Then that means your third brother must be one as well!" Axel waved one of his chakrams almost wildly "Three Jenova Vampires identified in one stroke! You're lucky that I am not of Riku's forces, you'll all be dead by now."

"Actually, you're lucky you're not going to be killed by this" Kadaj answered. He lifted his hand up, allowing sharp fangs to sink into the flesh. A droplet of red started to appear, slowly trailing down the finger. Kadaj gestured to Axel "Watch" then he swung his hand out. Blood flew out, but rather then simply splatter to the ground it solidify and stretched, snakelike, and coiled on the floor before springing up again and striking. The chakram Axel was waving earlier flew back.

"_This_ is one of the special traits a Jenova Vampire has, manipulation of our blood as a weapon. Something a normal vampire could never do, because blood is their food and life support. We, as Jenova Vampires, can survive without blood for days." Kadaj – suddenly standing past Axel – cracked the blood-made weapon like a whip against the floor, and when it came back to his side Demyx saw the crater left on the spot. "Its actually quite useful for us, on the rare chance that we don't have our weapons or find the opponent not worth the fight, we could use _this_" He gestured to the weapon "because we can almost always use it again" The blood-made weapon suddenly retraced back into the wound. Once the blood was back in Kadaj's body, the wound healed and the skin closed up. There was no evidence of the weapon at all.

"Of course, we can still use it simply because we felt like it, and since it is in liquid form we could shape it any way we wished. Nothing automatic, true, no guns, but another sharp edged weapon or a torture tool can be just as convenient at times." Axel waved his hand, and the chakram returned to his hand, Kadaj continued "If I had wanted to, I would have killed you when I knocked off your weapon."

Axel smirked and looked back "Really? Then if I had wanted to, I would have burnt you to death by now; I have _two_ chakrams, in case you haven't noticed" Kadaj quickly looked at his other hand, the one that didn't hold the weapon, although the skin was unharmed, the leather had been burned. Quickly reviewing what his mind had seen, he realized that while he had knocked off one of Axel's chakrams, Axel had used the other to burn the leather over Kadaj's other hand. Because both of them were not truly aiming to harm the other, and because they were skilled and precise enough, the skin itself wasn't harmed at all.

"Impressive…"

"Axel, A-X-E-L, got it memorized?"

"With your skills, of course"

A ring tone suddenly interrupted, somehow dissipating the tension. The weapons were lowered once more as every one looked at Axel, who seemed to carry the source of the noise. The redhead groaned, and one of his chakrams vanished as he picked up "What?" There was a pause "Yeah, yeah, sure, I have him already. No, yes, no…..yes you've caught me at the wrong time, okay….no problem. I got you" He tossed the phone at Demyx "for you."

The musician caught it clumsily "Hey…yea, okay…..its not _my_ fault Axel got into a fight! Nothing drastic, the enemies are not that dangerous…" Yazoo and Kadaj glared "…Axel's skills doesn't seem to have improved that much" Axel glared "I got the orders, what, go now? They've apparently arrived earlier then expected? I don't think I'm ready with so little on; give me a break would you?" There was a short pause "You're sending the wrong guy I'm telling you…." Axel's eyebrows roused, Demyx didn't appear to have changed much either "okay, fine, but if there's a mess up don't blame me if I say I told you so…" something like yelling came from the phone "Jeez, calm down, you're supposed to be the silent one…alright, I'll get to it" He hung up and looked at Axel "looks like things are being pushed ahead of schedule."

"Oh?" Axel said as he took back the cell phone "That means we better get moving"

"Looks like this ring business of yours is going to have to be postponed"

"Oh no, I'll still tell you a brief summary about it" Axel turned back to the Jenova Vampires "Awfully sorry for that interruption, but I must take my leave now; orders and business calls." A black portal opened up beside him, and he gestured for Demyx to step in. The musician did so without hesitation, disappearing in the dark void. Axel followed not long after, giving the Jenova Vampires a wave before disappearing. Once they were gone, Yazoo glanced at his watch, frowned, and spoke "I have something to do, Kadaj, so if you have anything to tell me, get straight to the point"

"I have nothing to say" Kadaj shrugged "I merely came because I sensed you fighting seriously, and was curious to who your opponent was. Good choice" He turned and started walking away "Fighting an Incomplete Soul, an experiment…just like us." Yazoo watched his brother walk away, and did the same except he went the opposite direction…completely missing his original target.

Inside a restaurant Yazoo passed, Reno leaned back against his seat as he regarded his companion sitting across the table. The other man wore a long jacket with a scarf and hat, effectively hiding a casual observer from seeing his face. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small but thick envelope, placing it onto the surface of the table. Reno took it and opened it a crack, seeing the cash wrapped inside. He flipped through it casually, counting the amount, before allowing a smirk to cross his face. Tucking the envelope inside his rumpled-looking jacket, he spoke "Thanks, yo"

"No problem" The man said, though his voice was stiff with worry "You have the money now, so would you…?"

"Of course" Reno placed another envelope on the table, and the other man took it quickly. He checked the contents inside, and sighed in something like relief. Folding the paper rapidly into a small rectangle, he hurriedly stuffed it in his pocket. A waitress came to their table, and automatically the man lowered his face.

"Would you like more drinks, sirs?" She asked. The man tried to causally cover his face with a hand, though his clothing already disguised him well.

"No thanks" The woman walked away, and the man relaxed. Reno shook his head.

"Yo, if you can't relax, people are going to suspect you anyways" He told the man, who merely grunted. Noticing the ill-at-ease look, Reno continued "you've paid me already, no one will hear of this. I've given you the film as well as all the photos; I have nothing over you anymore." The man grunted again, and Reno decided to give some pity to the man and continued "You're worried that I was using a digital camera and have it stored in my computer? Don't worry about it, after a business I like to dispose of all evidence, so it's easier for me to not be blamed if somebody else ever found out about my…client's secrets."

"Is that so…" The man stood up and made to leave, but he paused "Isn't showing your face to us already making you capable of blame, as well as placing you in danger?"

"Well, that last possibility is why I choose crowded places like now, yo" Reno gestured to their surroundings "in such a place, unless you're one raging psycho or willing to risk going to jail, you won't try to kill me"

"Yet," the man pointed out. "You're young still, doing this kind of thing; somebody is bound to send someone to deal with you sooner or later."

"I'm careful in choosing most of my…targets. The few that actually have tried anything against me afterwards found themselves quite perplexed as to what has happened to their hit men, Jacky-boy" Reno's smirk grew quite dangerous, and suddenly his companion felt he was dealing with a more dangerous individual rather then just a sleazy 'businessmen' looking for some cash. Hum….

"If you're willing, kid, I have a job for you" The man sat back down. "I want you to dig some dirt up on this man named Kawarazaki of ACU Corporation; it seems as if he's been dating a woman with shady connections. I can promise you enough to make it worth your time."

Reno looked at the man "You plan to threaten your superior with the evidence, Jacky-boy?"

"Watch what you say," the man hissed angrily "It's simply a trump card, I know he has taken bribes, but the man's a tricky person. There's a limit to what I can do in a legitimate investigation. You'll do it, won't you, kiddo?" Reno made a thoughtful 'hum…' sound.

"What's the time limit, yo?"

"Within a week"

"Understood" Reno took a sip of his drank.

"If you can't catch him in act, just make it happen" At that, Reno choked.

"You're telling me to make up the photos?"

"With technology nowadays, not that hard, is it? It'll still have enough of an effect."

It was so easy, Reno thought, to just slip into old patterns and agree for the sake of money or a paycheck; but he was no longer that type of person. Though he didn't appeared to have changed much in attitude, his morals had been shaken and reconstructed enough. So he stood up "if you want to throw false accusations around, do it yourself. Lying in that degree is something I wouldn't do"

"Don't act so high and mighty, especially not after this" The man snapped. "You sell your candid photos back to the subject, isn't this a type of blackmail? Sit down; I'm technically hiring you to do this."

Reno gazed at him "Are you planning to threaten me too?" He asked softly.

"No, no, this isn't a threat" The man replied "I wouldn't dare, even if you've given me all the stuff over my head…" Reno placed his hand inches from the man's face and snapped his fingers. The man jerked back slightly.

"In that moment before I snapped my fingers, I would have done it." Reno said, even though at the moment he had no idea what words were slipping past his lips "but I've snapped already, and though I've recovered I won't forget it" He had an idea of where he was going now "My hand remembers what it was like to snap, and the way I now manipulate my fingers are different to how I used to. I don't accept your offer, no matter how much money you offer. Next time, don't ask so casually, because you're lucky I don't plan to inform your boss about your attempt to discredit him. Have a good day, and hopefully you won't do something that would give me more blackmail material" He dropped a few coins on the table and left. As soon as he stepped out of the restaurant, he saw the blur of a vampire running at a high speed. More importantly, he saw the envelope in the vampire's hands.

Reno's head jerked to the vampire's direction, and his eyes glowed.

In a speed almost quicker than the average vampire, he ran after the blur. People cursed and swore at him when he pushed them aside, but he ignored it, eyes focused only the envelope. The vampire seemed to sense the pursuit, for he increased his speed. Reno did the same without difficulty, and managed to force the vampire into a dead end. The redhead pounced, knocking the vampire onto the floor, and grabbed the envelope. As the vampire fell to the ground, Reno landed gracefully on the tip of a pile of boxes. He tore open the envelope, hoping against hope that the _Cloud Strife_ scrawled on the cover was just coincidence. He paled when he took out the papers and saw the photos and other documents. On top of one was a small note:

_Cloud Strife existed a long time ago, in fact by now he should be dead. There is a record of his death, but it seems that he is still alive and going by the name of Cloud Amako _**(Author's Notes: No, its not the company, I just added the A in front of Mako)** _His appearance is exactly as you have described it, in other words not at all different from how he should have been all those years ago. In fact, he hasn't aged at all. _

"Shit…" Reno whispered, the documents in his hand were going to lead all of Riku's forces to Cloud and the other Jenova Vampires.

"What? You're related to that Cloud Amako there?" The vampire was getting up, dusting imaginary dirt away. Reno stared at him; this vampire knew about Cloud, this vampire was one of Riku's forces. He'll report, and Riku would know, every single supporter of Riku would know that Cloud was here, including Cloud's former companions……screw it. Reno's eyes narrowed, he hasn't tried killing a vampire for so long, but this was necessary.

The vampire barely had any time to cry out as something flashed. In a few seconds, all that remained of the vampire was dust. Reno didn't stick around to get caught, he turned and fled. Once he was sure he was far enough, he pulled out his lighter and lit the envelope on fire. The redhead didn't move till the envelope and all the documents inside turned to ash.

Not far away, Zexion stood at the room where Demyx and Sora should have been. He stared in concern at the broken glassware littered around the floor and at some of the furniture literally turned upside down, unbeknownst to him the courtesy of Axel. A puddle of water reflected his annoyed face, and flowers littered the floor, dislocated from their vase. Rose petals surrounded by rings of water floated adrift on the floor. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought Marluxia was implying something, but the man always loved roses and constantly gave them to his friends. Aside from this mess, one important question remained: where was Demyx? Normally he should be home now.

Despite all the events happening, Zexion felt it should be time to enter Demyx's life and slowly begin to befriend him. After all, a person was weakest when they felt the loss of a loved one, in Demyx's case Sora's disappearance. Yet upon arrival, he noticed the chaos the room was in. Was there a break-in? Nothing valuable appeared to have been stolen though. Now why haven't he started observing Demyx earlier? He could have had one of his subordinates watching the house and tell him where Demyx was.

As if blaming the ruined furniture, he gave it a cold glare. He swore then he was going to keep a watch on the musician once he found him again. He'd postponed actually meeting the blond long enough, it was about time he started moving, and come hell or high water if Marluxia or Larxene decided to poison Demyx's ears about him.

During this time, Sora woke up to find Riku sleeping beside him. He got up, stretched, considered waking Riku up but decided against it. He didn't know what Riku would be like in the…mornings, if such a thing really exists in Traverse Town's eternal night. Not only that, he didn't want to endure some of Riku's more lecherous teasing. Oh sure, Riku wasn't trying to force him and he didn't touch him anywhere wrong, but the comments were sometimes double-meaning and his touches, even if just on the arm, sometimes lingered too long. A light blush dusted over Sora's cheeks, and he turned away to remove himself from the bed.

When he felt something grab his hand, he stopped and turned around.

Riku stared back at him in an almost surprised manner, as if he never expected Sora was there. As Sora watched, a wave of relief seemed to sweep over Riku's eyes before they returned to their icy determination. Hum, that was interesting, did Riku wake up from a bad dream? Judging by the distressed way he looked earlier, it was possible; Wait, distress?

"Riku?" Sora asked softly, and the aqua eyes refocused onto him "Is…is there something wrong?"

"Sora, could you go call…oh" Riku released his grip around Sora's wrist and sighed "I forgot, Tidus is away on a vacation…"

There was something in Riku's stance that told Sora something was wrong, and Sora being Sora, the cinnamon-haired boy crawled back under the covers and curled up beside Riku. "Anything you can tell me?" He felt Riku relax slightly, but not enough to Sora's comfort. The silver-haired boy sighed again.

"If I don't tell you, you'll be angry at me again, wouldn't you?"

"Hum…" Sora hummed as he laid his head on Riku's shoulder. He took one of Riku's hands in both of his and trailed them almost curiously, feeling the firm and yet flawless skin that had probably been made due to battles or when…feeding. They were unlike Sora's own, soft and smooth. One one finger was a black ring, with a line of purple and green going across; plain, but the fledging thought it suited Riku. Sora allowed a content smile to grace his face as he cuddled against Riku.

"Sora?"

"Hum?"

"You haven't had blood yet…" Riku's voice trailed off, and Sora realized what he was doing. He was cuddling with Riku without even taking the blood first; the realization surprised him but strangely didn't disgust him. Rather, he simply turned to look up at Riku, blinking in a rather confused manner

"Is there something wrong with this?" The smaller boy asked, and started to pull away. Automatically he felt Riku's arm wrap around his waist, drawing them both closer. Baby blue eyes blinked, but closed in content as Sora snuggled closer to his Vampire Lord. Riku's body wasn't warm, nothing at all like the hugs Demyx or his now dead relatives gave him, but there was something soothing in Riku's presence. A sense of security, that he was loved and cared for by someone who _could_ protect him, something that his dead cousin had failed at no matter how hard he tried.

"_Sora, should I ever fail in becoming stronger, either you must do so or you should find someone who could take my place and protect you, but never take that to heart. To rely on someone completely is to risk hurt and betrayal, even worse, helplessness."_

Sora hoped dearly that the latter part of his dead cousin's advice wouldn't happen. Already his resistance was decreasing, and he knew at the rate he was going he would soon grow to accept his master, and to possibly love Riku.

And somewhere far off in the most expensive and luxurious apartment, Oblivion, Roxas gazed at an old photo hanging from the wall. In the picture was a younger version of him and his long lost, most likely dead twin brother. The photo was old, and very worn. The edges were wrinkled and starting to yellow already, which was why Roxas placed it in a frame so that the process could slow down. He stared at his twin's bright eyes and spiky hair, and tried to imagine him in real life. Yet, try as he might, he could not remember what his brother was like.

How detached he had grown, he thought dully. Was it really years ago, and not days, when he used to jump to his feet every time he heard the name Sora? Far too long, and always, _always_ there was the disappointment, knowing his brother wasn't there. How many times had he tried running after spiky brown hair, be they bleached or too dark, just to see a face that wasn't a mirror of his own? He didn't try counting the times he would believe he saw Sora at the corner of his eyes, only to turn and realize it was himself in a mirror or reflective glass.

It took so many years to get used to the fact that Sora was most likely dead, but he soon managed it; and yet with this acceptance also began to process of slowly forgetting his twin brother. To his horror he soon found himself unable to remember Sora's behavior or what were Sora's favourite things, let alone the sound of Sora's voice. Nowadays, Sora was but a vague memory in his mind, and he tried hard to preserve it. Other reminders, such as spiky hair or the name Sora, was ignored.

_Face it, Roxas_, he thought _Sora must be dead by now. Besides, what are you moping for? Its not like you have no family, you still have Cloud, and what's the chance that the Vampire Lord's fledging is really your brother? None, none at all_

**(1) In Advent Children, Kadaj absorbed the materia in his arm and could summon that large monster (not that they haven't been summoning creatures since the beginning). So I've changed it here that their arms can actually change into creatures. **

**Readers, did you notice the mistake Reno made? Or something suspicious in the scene with Roxas? How about the fact that Lord Orion obviously would recognize Tidus since Orion is one of 'those in power', and yet he still lets him go?**

**A friend lend me Jigoku Shoujo AKA Girl from Hell the other day. Though some of the stories were quite well done, I found that overall it wasn't to my taste at all. It might be only because I could only see up to episode 16 though, because she had no more afterwards. It was the scene with Reno and his mysterious companion, when he was blackmailing the guy with the photos. Episode 10 with the actual deal, episode 11 with Reno being asked to dig some dirt up on the other guy. **

**Chapter Nine Promotion Anime: Jigoku Shoujo**


	10. A Pocketful of Posie

**Whoa, nobody figured out what was suspicious about Roxas' scene, but there were plenty of guesses concerning Reno's mistake. I've purposely misled you, but I'm surprise: One of the reviewers got it right. You'll realize what it is in this chapter: **

**Previously: The YRP gang, Tidus, and Wakka arrives to Guadosalam and has a tiny misunderstanding with the Guado Orion, described as one of the more powerful, fanatical leaders. Kadaj interrupts the fight between Axel and Yazoo, telling the former about the blood properties of Jenova Vampires. A phone call to Axel sends him and Demyx away to some unknown place. In a restaurant, Reno seals a blackmailing deal, before spotting a vampire carrying information on a 'Cloud Amako'. To honor the saying dead men tell no tales, Reno kills the vampire. Sora admits to himself Riku isn't as hateful as he first thought, while in another place Roxas reflects how he's given up Sora for dead, therefore ignoring every little hint to his brother's possible location.**

The setting was one of darkness, but it wasn't the forbidding or frightening kind. There was just a sense of endless space, but not intimidating enough to consider loneliness or empty void. The sole person standing in the place knew quickly where he was, and decided to wait for the other. He waited, and waited, and though it was only a few seconds his patience wore thin; Tidus never did consider himself a patient person.

"You called, Maester Seymour Guado?"

The setting changed slowly. Elegant designs on walls, high quality furniture, tall ceilings, lights designed more for beauty than use…and of course, the owner of the place, Seymour Guado. Almost unconsciously Tidus lifted a hand up to summon his weapon, but he quickly dropped it, remembering the situation Riku had gotten them all in. As of the moment, Riku and Seymour were supposed allies, so followings protocol Tidus swept a hand back and gave the other man a short bow. He straightened rather quickly

"I have heard that in their dreams, Mediums often gain access to the mental calls of either nearby people or those that summon them." Seymour began, "and it seems I am correct in those assumptions"

"You are indeed" Tidus confirmed "you were calling for me, not any other Medium in existence, did you wish for me to deliver a message to Lord Riku?"

"Would you be able to?" Seymour smiled "You are no longer in Traverse Town"

_Well_, Tidus thought, _looks like Riku and I are in trouble_.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"This is the hotel where we'll be staying?" Wakka asked as he stuck his head out of the taxi "not bad!"

"It _is_ a branch of Dusk's hotels and apartments, Castle Oblivion" Paine replied "they usually have high quality materials, and their hotels are always five-star, haven't you been in the Oblivion Apartment in Traverse Town? Its one of the most beautiful apartments around, not to mention most of the high-ranking executives in Dusk Corp actually buys a place in it to live in for the rest of their lives. Some of them live in Castle Oblivion instead since there are more services provided""

"I've heard" Wakka answered, remembering something Namine said. Oblivion was the name for the expensive Dusk-owned apartments, and Castle Oblivion was the name of the Dusk-owned five-star hotels. He tuned around "Hey Tidus, do you think….oh"

Yuna shook her head, "don't wake him up"

By all appearances, Tidus was simply sleeping, but his friends could easily see the faint blue markings over his eyelids – the Medium was in the dream of another. It was best not to interrupt, so while the girls got their luggage ready, Wakka half dragged, half carried his friend out and entered the hotel. They checked in, listening to the front desk welcoming them and explaining that everything had been prepared for them. Then they went into a hotel, and two other tourists joined them. Judging by their clasped hands and how close the young woman was leaning against the man, Wakka guessed they were a couple. When it appeared they were both on the same floor, the other man spoke up.

"Hello, I don't mean to be rude, but is your friend alright?" The tone sounded friendly enough, Wakka thought. He glanced at Tidus and answered.

"He's just a little dizzy at the moment; we'll just let him rest for a while." Wakka answered.

"Ah, well if anything happens just give me a call. I know almost all the doctors in the area"

"You're not a tourist?"

"Oh no, I actually live here" _Rich man or Dusk Corp executive then_, Wakka thought "My name is Martin Srail, this is Karen Sertcudes."

"My name is Wakka" just for safety sake, he decided not to give his last name. His name may not be traced back to the Vampire Lord Riku, but it might trace to the Medium Tidus. "My friends and I are tourists here" Of course, he knew the YRP gang wasn't here just for tourism, but it wasn't anything Martin needed to know.

"If you wish, I can always show all of you around" At that, Rikku laughed.

"Are you sure, we wouldn't want to be the third wheel with your wife or fiancée" Rikku gestured to the ring on Martin's finger. To her surprise, the smile almost slipped from Martin's face.

"Its…simply an engagement ring, not concrete yet" As he spoke, the hand disappeared in Martin's pocket, and when it emerged, the ring had disappeared. It was then the rest of them noticed that the woman beside him bore no ring on her finger. Add the fact they seem a bit too close even for siblings……_oh_.

_This man already has a woman engaged, and yet he's already going around with other women?_ Wakka looked at Karen again, oh she was pretty, with all the curves any man would want, as revealed by her clothing (more like a lack of it). Wakka couldn't help thinking _Slut_, but what the man and this woman do was none of his business. When the elevator doors opened, Wakka bid them goodbye, and with the YRP gang went to their room.

"We'll let Tidus sleep for now, but unfortunately we can't stay as we have to meet up with our employer" Yuna turned to Wakka as he dumped the blonde on the bed "You can stay and watch over him or go out yourself, remember to have a good time. We don't know how long negotiations and information-gathering can take, and you know how easily we can get distracted once you set us loose around here. Remember to be careful as well, Guadosalam is a place in war, no matter how peaceful the place seems there are always restricted areas and cameras around."

"Don't worry, I'm not under Riku's service, even if they arrest me on suspicion they won't have much against me."

"You weren't listening, Guadosalam is in war, the authorities can ignore civil and human rights here, if you're captured you're as good as dead. Even if you can take care of yourself, and we all know you can in other circumstances, you can't match up to the armored guards here."

"Yuna, telling him that wouldn't reassure us well enough" Paine approached Wakka and instead dropped a small pouch in Wakka's pocket. Wakka smelled the fragrant scent quickly.

"You're giving me one of those 'scented dried flowers in a pouch' thing?" **(1)**

"It's actually a disguise. If you are caught and searched, even if the contents are poured out it would only appear to be flowers. These flowers are actually explosives; each of them has a mark, if you pinched it with your nail the bombs would explode in thirty seconds. In other words, the flowers are more like something you throw at the enemy, not something you set and leave it to activate, though you could if you wish. Don't use it casually, it's not exactly a rare weapon but it's usually associated with fairy warfare and there's a chance, however slight, that it would go back to us. If possible, use your own weapons."

Wakka raised an eyebrow "if you're already giving me weapons, I take it that you're all assuming that I would be going out?"

"Yea, even if you stayed to watch out for our Medium friend here, you'll only long to go out" Rikku answered "so if that's what going to happen anyways, let's give you ammunition first. As for Tidus, we'll protect him with some seals. Sit down, Wakka" The boy obeyed, and seated himself cross-legged on the floor while the other fairies did the same. They surrounded Tidus' bed and started the protecting incarnations. The glowing and seals would normally raise suspicion, but luckily because the young man was a Medium he absorbed everything into him. By the time Wakka and the YRP gang finished, there was no trace whatsoever that anything supernatural had occurred.

"Done," Paine voiced out "Yuna, Rikku, let's go to our room and unpack. We don't have much time before we have to meet up with our employer. Wakka, take care" The friends bid each other goodbye, and separated. Both parties unpacked, freshened up a bit, then left. Wakka left the Hotel, carrying the pouch Paine had given him in his pocket, while the YRP gang went to the dining room (or floor, as it seemed). An attendant directed them to a table, where their employer sat waiting for them.

"Good day to you all, YRP" The man smiled at the three disguised fairies. He was tall, with short brown hair and a well-built body. The fairies sat down on the three chairs set out in front of them, and Yuna returned the greeting.

"The same to you, Lexaeus Elitehorns" **(2)**

In another branch of Oblivion Hotel, namely the one in Traverse Town, not far from the flat Roxas lived in, his friendly neighbor Axel lay sprawled lazily on a sofa. After the business with Demyx was done, the redhead had left and returned to his apartment, where he found some documents from his department at Dusk Corp. Despite appearances, Axel was Head of the Dusk Department in Marketing, though more often then not he gave most of the paperwork to his employees. Therefore, he was barely registering the words he was reading as he finished a letter, tossed it into the recycle bag while reading another, tossed that one in, and repeated the movement. He was continuing this procedure when he head the door open, and his twin brother stepped in. Reno took one glance at what Axel was doing and spoke "yo, shouldn't you be worried about having to sign in some of those things?"

"Nope, they know to ask me to sign things when I'm in office" Axel answered as he tossed the last letter away. He turned to Reno "Hey, I think I have another job for you."

"Nothing long-term, hopefully" Reno took the sheet of paper Axel held out for him and skimmed through it quickly. He looked back up "an audition? For a minor role in that new movie your old friend is directing?"

"Old nuisance, more like" Axel added, "used to never stop following me around, begging for immortality. Mortals like him should just die"

"Ouch" Reno continued reading and looked up "The role is a slayer turning into a vampire and going insane?"

"Considering your skills and former training, it's not that hard for you to do" Axel replied "if anything, you can pretend this is somewhat based on your own history. It's only a minor role, you don't have to worry too much about drawing attention. Speaking of drawing attention, I ran into a Jenova Vampire." Reno, who had gone back to reading, snapped his head up so fast he nearly had a whiplash. Axel continued "Actually, you could say I ran into two. I was innocently walking around, talking to a friend, when out of nowhere I was attacked by this silver-haired vampire with a gun. We fought for a bit and he addressed me with your name. Then this other silver-haired vampire comes along and stops us, and he's apparently named Kadaj. Looks like the Stigma brothers that own that weapon store are all Jenova Vampires, add Aerith into the mix and I've uncovered four Jenova Vampires. Of course, that's nowhere compared to you, isn't it? You know all of them"

"I know all of them, but I was planning to keep in touch with only one of them." Reno agreed "As for you uncovering four, that's twice what Riku's forces have. They only have Aerith and the one I'm keeping contact with. Speaking of Aerith, care to share what you have been planning with her?"

"Now, that would be breaking confidential information, I see no advantage in me breaking the news"

"Yo?"

"How about an exchange of information? I tell you something for something related to the Jenova Vampires. Are there really seven Jenova Vampires in total?"

"In Traverse Town, yes, it is unlikely that there are anymore around, what is Aerith planning to do?"

"Asked me to help her capture Werewolf Head Zexion, what were the Stigma brothers like?"

"The three came after we thought everything was over, they were reuniting the Jenova Vampires, do you two have a plan?"

"Yes, but it will depend on whether Zexion takes the bait and whether or not two of my co-workers will get involved as well, do the three brothers have any more siblings?"

"They address anyone with Jenova genes as siblings because they are all Jenova's supposed children, what is the werewolf bait?"

"A ring, and a certain blonde whom Zexion would no doubt be attracted to, who is the Jenova Vampire you've kept in contact with?"

"His name _was_ Cloud Strife, but not anymore, he changed his name. He's going to have to change it again soon, one of Riku's vampires already found him out…"

"Did you say _Cloud_? As in quiet, spiky blond hair blue-eyed Cloud Amako? _He's_ a Jenova Vampire too?"

"Hey! I haven't even asked a question!" Reno complained, but by now his twin's thoughts were elsewhere.

_Roxas….is related to a Jenova Vampire?_ Axel thought, stunned.

Roxas was related to more then a Jenova Vampire, some distance away Roxas' twin brother Sora, Vampire Lord Riku's new fledgling, received a shock when Selphie's voice burst in his mind. Apparently addressing Riku, she exclaimed _Lord Riku! There's been a slaying of one of the SEED! Judging by the dust state, it was a slayer!_

At those words, Riku's eyes hardened. He stood up, paused briefly to tell Sora "stay here", before disappearing in a flash. Sora blinked, and felt a twinge of annoyance at Riku's obvious action to keep him in the dark. Rather then entertain dark thoughts, he instead reflected on what he just heard. SEED, he knew, was Riku's elite fighting force, commanded by Leon if he remembered correctly. Selphie and Zell were both in the group among the vampire division, which made up the majority. SEED should be made of the most powerful, but apparently a slayer had gotten ride of one because of the dust state.

Could only slayers render a vampire to dust? What if instead the person responsible only wanted to frame the slayers? What if the 'slayer' was actually a traitor, or even one of the Guado?

Sora sighed, so many questions, so little answers.

Riku arrived to the scene quickly and saw his subjects already surrounding the area. They parted when he approached, and he saw the pile of fine dust and the already rotting fangs. When a vampire died, their body returned to its original state. In other words, an old vampire's body would turn to dust because that should have been what their body became if they haven't turned to a vampire. A fledgling like Sora, on the other hand, might change to the unmistakable form of a rotting corpse. However, even if the body is rendered to dust, the fangs would remain, as a symbol of the vampirism while also identifying the corpse. For SEED vampires or those of equally significant standing, there was a vague mark on the fangs to identify them separately. Therefore, when Riku approached and saw the fangs, he knew immediately that Selphie was correct.

"Leon, have you identified the vampire?" Riku asked, Leon nodded

"Wedge Deyals" **(3)**

"What makes you sure this is the work of a slayer?"

"Too effective and clean, and they are dust instead of ashes. If another supernatural being came and killed him, the remains would appear more like burnt ashes, yet this is dust. What's more, they resemble some sort of fine powder, rather then the natural lumps it should be rendered into." As he spoke Leon scoped a handful of the dust up and let it fall. Like fine white sand the particles slipped down to the ground easily, no trace of any lumps.

"Any suspected slayers?"

"No, in this city there's only three slayers living. One has retired, and the other two have solid alibis. So unless a new one came recently without our knowledge or all along we had an unregistered one, it's not likely the slayer was Traverse Town's." Leon looked back at the remains. "Cause of death, believe it or not, a knife or an equally small, bladed weapon. Some electrocution might be involved, though that itself isn't the cause of death." Riku nodded and knelt down on one knee to examine the remains. He tilted his head to the side, thinking. Something was nagging at him, but he wasn't sure what. He glanced around the place and saw how clean it was, no trace of any blood. No sign of any struggle.

"Lord Riku?" A vampire asked hesitatingly.

"No victim" Riku focused back on the remains "there is no sign of a human about to fall prey to Deyals' hunger. There isn't even a sign of a chase."

"NO" Fujin's voice spoke up "LOOK"

Riku looked up and walked towards were Fujin was standing. She pointed a footprint on the surface on a wall, then walked towards a pile of boxes and pointed again. A pair of footprints, the same as the previous one, marked the surface of one of them.

"FOOTPRINTS" She announced to him "SMALLER"

"She means Wedge's footprints should be bigger" Raijin approached them to look at the footprints "and she's right, these footprints are way too slender. Judging by the traces, the person should be wearing something more formal than Wedge's runners. We can assume it was a male though, and looking at how new these footprints are in comparison to Wedge's, I'll say this guy was the one chasing our vampire, reinforcing the guy was probably a slayer."

"NOT NORMAL" Fujin added "BIG DISTANCE" She gestured to the space between one footprint and the other. Riku knew what she meant. The leap between one footprint and the other was huge; the slayer was a tremendously skilled one if they could accomplish that. Things were looking really grim at the way it was going; Seven Undefined Vampires, Seymour and the Guado, and now an unregistered slayer running around. To top it off, his friend and Medium left for who knows how long. At least Sora was starting to resist less around him. Riku turned to look back at the remains of one of his vampires.

_My apologies Wedge, for dragging you into these affairs right after you've been promoted to SEED_

The nagging feeling intensified in Riku, and the silver-haired vampire frowned. He had a hunch that he was missing the bigger picture here, but what was it? He looked around the place, everything appeared to be normal. His supporters were all examining the area to see if they could find anything, so if it was something on scene they would tell him. Riku looked back at the remains, what could Wedge have done to have a slayer silence him? There were no traces of a feeding around and if Wedge had fed recently, his remains wouldn't be so white. Silence him….

_That's it!_

His feeling intensified as he whipped his head around. The city lights blurred his sight, but already his mind was thinking. What could Wedge have seen that would force a person to kill him? This alley way didn't appear to have much, so it might be from something else. Wedge must have seen or heard something that was serious enough to alarm another person. All chance eavesdropping aside, what might Wedge have learned? What was his last memory of Wedge?

The auditorium!

Wedge was going to look for information from the human police…._about one of the Undefined Vampires!_

"Leon!" Several vampires jumped at the sudden command, but Leon himself remained calm as he approached Riku's side. "This might be nothing, but last time I talked to Wedge he was going to the human police to look up information about Undefined Vampire Number Three." Despite the unchanging facial expression, Riku saw Leon tense. "Him being killed right now might be a coincidence, but also a bit too convenient. As I don't want to have a repetition of this incident, I want you to go retrieve the information."

"Of course, Lord Riku"

"Go"

Leon became a blur as he disappeared from Riku's side, and the blur raced out of the alley and into the city streets. Selphie approached him, and Riku realized something else.

"Where's Zell?"

"I didn't call every single vampire, my Lord, only those on shift at the moment. The place might get too crowded and draw attention. If I remember correctly, he's with a human friend named Yazoo, one of the three brothers who own the weapons store. Should I give him a call?"

"No, let him have his fun for now, he's just recovered from an assault after all."

Zell was indeed having fun. When he arrived at the arcade, the excitement and adrenaline washed over him and despite being alone he quickly joined in the games. The owner of the arcade, recognizing him, had quickly introduced him to some regular customers, and they had accepted him easily, though they first seemed more interested in his tattoo.

"Where did you get it?"

"I had it since I was a child"

"Who did it?"

"I can't remember, I was too young that time, I remembered I wasn't too willing though"

"Wow, is it perhaps some sort of mark that you're part of some group or gang?"

"I doubt it, as I've never belonged to such" and it was true. Aside from being part of SEED Zell held no memory of being part of any other group. Whatever the tattoo was for, he never did learn. He knew he was from an orphanage, and it was there that for some strange reason he had gotten the tattoo, as ordered by the Matron if he remembered correctly. That itself was suspicious as she never approved of such practices. When the Matron died, Zell never thought of removing the tattoo.

"Zell" The blonde looked up and grinned.

"Yazoo!" He exclaimed happily. Excusing himself from his new acquaintances, he tugged Yazoo away to play other games. His silver-haired friend loathed being among strangers, and Zell didn't mind tolerating that habit. They played several games, both of them almost equally skilled. Yazoo preferred the firearms and Zell preferred the physical fighting, and be it fighting together or going against the other, no hard feelings were created.

Behind a counter Zack watched this almost sadly. He knew that Yazoo and Zell could not stay as friendly as they were now, their identities would clash sooner or later even if their personalities clicked. Vampires could not get attach to humans too long, and the same thing went with Jenova Vampires and Normal Vampires; especially when their leaders would be going at each others' throats when they finally meet.

Not that the remaining Jenova Vampires were getting along with each other that well either. Take Aerith, for example.

Shifting, he called one of his employees over and told them to temporarily take charge. Zack then left the arcade and headed toward the poorer streets of Traverse Town. Ignoring the stench of filth and decay, he entered an abandoned building.

Once inside, the sweet scent of flowers swirled around him. It wasn't that strong, but it was a noticeable change. He walked forward, and soon saw Aerith. The young woman stood in the centre of the building, her back towards him. Surrounding her on the ground were flowers, the source of the scent. Zack approached her, stopping when he reached the edge of the flowers.

"Happy birthday"

Aerith looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were solemn, without the sparkle of life she once had. "Do you know how old I am now, Zack?"

Zack looked away, as if ashamed, and Aerith smiled sadly "you can't even remember your own age, Zack, let alone mine. Tell me, did you really remember what today was or did Cloud remind you of my birthday?" Zack said nothing, even as Aerith turned and walked forward to him. She lightly touched his face, her slender fingers lightly brushing over his sharp features, a warm and tender touch because despite being a vampire she was of Jenova, and they do not turn cold like the vampires below them. Leaning forward, she kissed him tenderly on the cheek, and Zack couldn't help remembering how the two of them had returned to the world.

_They both fell into the sacrificed bodies in a flash of green light. Their souls entered the bodies, and the bodies morphed into Aerith's and Zack's appearance. Zack sat back up in shock, disbelieving, still holding onto Aerith's hand. He stared up at Sephiroth, towering over him, fangs bared and hands outstretched._

"_Sephiroth…" Zack whispered, and then saw another figure beside the man. He stared sadly "Cloud…why? Why did you let him…?"_

"_Brother here has agreed to come with us," Yazoo answered "in exchange we would spare the lives of his comrades" _

_Kadaj smirked and faced Cloud "Go on, brother!" He cheered excitedly. "Bite him!" _

_Zack shook his head as his friend knelt down in front of him. From the beginning when they met Cloud's eyes were dull, but now they were almost lifeless, when have those eyes become so haunted? "Cloud, if you bite me now, you'll never be able to stop" _

"_Brother, bite him!"_

_When Aerith opened her eyes, she saw Zack's lifeless form lying on the ground, and Cloud sat beside him, embracing his best friend. Sephiroth bit his finger and allowed drips of blood to slip into Zack's lips. Aerith scrambled forward and closed her hands over the one Zack held her with. "You've already turned Cloud away from his friends, why did you have to bring us out of the Lifestream as well?" She fought her tears as she held onto Zack tighter "Why did you turn us into monsters?" _

"_I only want to give Cloud some happiness, so that he could stay with me" Sephiroth answered. "In time, he will forget all that has happened, his friends, his enemies, soon he will forget all of them. He would only remember me, you, and your boyfriend. All of you will be given everlasting life" _

_As if to prove his point, Zack suddenly sat up and let out a roar, vampire fangs bared. Before any of them could blink, Zack seized Aerith to his side and sank his fangs into her neck. Aerith let out a strangled scream, and at the_ _background Sephiroth smiled. _

Aerith withdrew and looked up at the man she had first loved. For one moment, Zack looked back at her and she swore she saw the pain and suffering that was a mirror of hers, for that moment she could believe that Zack was still Zack, and that he didn't like turning into a vampire nor did he wished to continue serving Sephiroth. Then the moment passed when Zack looked away again, and made to leave. On instinct, she grabbed his hand.

"Zack…" she whispered. "Let us leave this place, let's leave Traverse Town, leave Sephiroth. Let's start over, and forget too. Living for another ten years, a hundred years, it doesn't matter. Stop concerning yourself with Sephiroth's wild dreams, stop hurting yourself. Just you and me, together forever, untouched by other affaires, just like in the past; wouldn't that be the best thing?" Zack closed his eyes, and made to move away, but Aerith held on "answer me, Zack. Please, just answer me. After all these years, how long can we last?" When Zack said nothing, Aerith slowly released him and stepped back a respectable distance. "I don't think I can last any longer. I don't _want_ to continue being a blood-sucking monster."

A flower crunched underneath the weight of Aerith's shoes as she took another step back "Yes, in these years we do not appear to have changed, we do not even age. What about on the inside? We're older then most of the vampires living at the moment! We're unhappier then most of them too. Because we don't even have the privilege to die! At least a normal vampire could commit suicide if they wished! Every time I wake I grow fearful, I don't know what I'll do that day, who I'll kill. Because aside from killing and feeding what can I do? Can you tell me, besides that, what can I do!" She shook her head "Besides killing, what purpose does this tainted life have? Zack, tell me, what can I do besides killing!"

Something wet trailed over her cheeks, and Aerith realized she was crying. It was a strange feeling, how long has it been since she had a good cry? Upon seeing her tears, Zack stepped forward and embraced her. He placed a light, comforting kiss on her lips, and Aerith responded. The kiss grew deeper and more desperate, raw emotions taking over. Their teeth morphed into fangs, piercing through the other's lips, and they both tasted blood.

And back in some edge of Guadosalam, Wakka found himself running and choking at the smell of smoke and blood. How did it get like this? He was walking about, enjoying the scenery, when he accidentally stumbled into an old warehouse. Inside the warehouse were several humans introducing each other, apparently they were given the same job by the same employer. When Wakka came in, they thought he was one of them and asked him for his opinion in the best course of action – how to bomb a certain military base in Guadosalam.

The people were mercenaries hired by the Ronso, and they thought Wakka was another one.

Not wanting to reveal himself and be killed to keep silent, Wakka had joined them. After all, he might be able to help Tidus with this. They disguised themselves as Guado guards and infiltrated the base, and it was just his luck that Orion was in it.

"My fellow comrades, chosen because of your skill and talent, we are succeeding in our quest to create the ultimate nation." Orion looked at his guado warriors, standing in lines orderly, an impressive image "I know, many of you are tired and haven't been home for a while. Many of you wonder at times what this is all for. I give you an answer; this is for the glory of the Guado. We want to create a better future, for ourselves, for your children, for the race as well."

Unbeknownst to him, the enemy group was approaching. They wore the clothing of a low class grunt, but unknown to the naked eye each member had an explosive hidden on them. They walked down a corridor, heading for certain room.

"Those Ronso are getting out of hand. Let us not forget, that in history the Guado was responsible for colonizing them and allowing them to live better lives **(4)**. Now, they think they should be independent and that we should no longer be allowed to have the power that we rightfully should have."

Not far off, a few patrolling Guado guards nodded briefly to the approaching group. They were about to move on, but without warning the approaching group seized them by the throats. Several twists and the guards dropped to the floor silently, dead.

"If we let them get away with this, not only would it show our decline in strength, but it would encourage rebellion everywhere. Total chaos would soon take over. We have to teach the Ronso and the whole world a lesson"

Two members of the same group arrived to the main room and saluted the guarding Guado guards, who returned the gesture before stepping away. Once they were gone, the replacements, actually the mercenaries in disguise, started setting up dynamite and other explosives. Nearby, the rest of the group did the same throughout the area. It took only a few seconds before everything was set and the 'okay' signals were passed along. Their temporally leader, a man with dark hair by the name of Ben and one of the two 'guarding' the room, gave the same signal, and he mercenaries disappeared. Wakka, his partner, peeked inside the room.

"Let us use show the world, that the Guado is the next superpower! Long live the Guado!"

"Long live the Guado!" The soldiers repeated. Wakka pulled back and meet Ben's eyes.

"Its Lord Orion Guado, one of those in power, almost just below Lord Seymour Guado." Wakka repeated what Tidus once told him "He is well known for his skills and fanatical dreams about conquering lands and oceans so that the Guado will become the most powerful nation in the world. Dangerously loyal to Seymour too, he'll agree to anything the man says." Ben nodded, then straightened when the doors fully opened and Orion stepped out, followed by his soldiers. Ben and Wakka subtly lowered their heads as they passed, listening to their footsteps and mentally counting the seconds; three….two….one.

The first explosion nearly shook the whole building and sent several Guado flying across the room. Smoke drifted in quickly as several more explosions went off. The mercenaries were dismayed when they saw that the explosion had only taken two soldiers out, one of which remained alive and even shouted "protect Lord Orion!" At this rate, their explosions would be wasted. The mercenaries rushed forward, shoving the group closer to the fire. This only resulted in the group turning around and fighting them. A few physical attacks were exchanged before the magic spells were thrown at each other. In response, the mercenaries started fighting back and also tried to flee. Wakka glanced at the pouch Paine had given him, and he quickly pulled a flower out. Pressing his nail down on a mark, he threw it to the Guado.

A small but effective explosion blew up, killing several Guado and causing a lot more smoke. The mercenaries covered their faces and fled. Wakka was one of them, but as he turned to flee he met eyes with Lord Orion Guado.

The Guado was furious, and Wakka knew at that moment the Guado would remember his face and be after him. This was going to be very bad, what with his friendship to Tidus. He turned and flee, and not bothering to check whether he was followed or not, he drew out more flowers and activated them, tossing them behind him and hearing explosion after explosion, hoping against hope that Orion would not survive.

**(1) I don't know what those things are called, does any reader know? It's usually dry flowers inside a pouch and they smell nice  
(2) **'**Elitehorns' is an anagram of 'Silent Hero', Lexaeus' nickname in the game, for those who forgot  
(3) ****Deyals Slay + ed backwards, as there's no such word as 'slayed'  
(4) ****People used to believe this all the time, hence imperialistic war. Everything for territory and control**

**That last part was actually a modified version of my Final Fantasy VII fic _One More Chance_, it was meant to help me out of my writer's block. Readers, if you don't mind, check out the fic and tell me what you think! **

**Falcon-Jade-Darkness guessed Reno's mistake correctly, congratulations! So, now that Riku knows the humans have information, he's sent Leon to get them, which means Leon and Cloud would be playing a more noticeable role soon. Another Organization XIII member has also been revealed, Lexaeus.**

**No Promotion Anime today, it was difficult to link to any. **


	11. Ashes, ashes

**Does ANYONE know where I can download/watch Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust? Youtube has many AMVs of it but I apparently can't find the actual movie (in good quality). Little help please? **

**Previously: Mediums can visit other people in their dreams, and when Tidus enter Seymour's, the latter reveals that he knows Tidus is no longer in Traverse Town. Wakka and the YRP group meet a Martin and Karen in the Castle Oblivion Hotel before separating, with the YRP meeting up with their latest employer, Lexaeus, and Wakka getting involved in a plot to blow up a Guado military base – with Lord Orion in it. Axel gives Reno a small job as an actor and Reno gives him the information that Cloud is a Jenova Vampire, stunning Axel when he realizes Roxas is related to a Jenova Vampire. Riku realizes his vampire Wedge was killed not only by a slayer, but because he discovered information. As a result, he sends Leon to retrieve it. Zell reveals his tattoo was given by the Matron for unknown reasons. Elsewhere, as if contrasting Sora's acceptance of becoming a vampire, Zack and Aerith share a sad moment together as Aerith weeps for being turned into a monster that she herself fears. **

_Yuffie stood behind the branches, watching the open window of the house sadly. At the window, Tifa appeared to be reading a book, but her eyes were not even moving. They looked sad and haunted, and Yuffie realized even when several months had passed, Tifa had not overcome her grief. _

_Of course, Yuffie didn't overcome it fully either. She doubted any of them did. Perhaps that was why, slowly and surely, they were all falling apart. Already she lost contact with several of her friends and companions. She didn't even know if they were dead or alive. _

_A bird flew towards Tifa's window, settling on the ledge. Tifa looked up and gave the bird a smile "do you find me pitiful too?" She reached out and offered the bird some food, but the bird turned and flew away. Tifa's expression crushed. _

_Yuffie turned and ran after the bird, chasing it for several streets. Eventually the bird landed again, and Yuffie jumped forward._

_When Tifa came out of her house, she saw Yuffie running up towards her. As soon as Yuffie was close by, she dropped something in Tifa's hands "for you" _

_Tifa looked at the object Yuffie had given her. It was a bird, the same bird from just a while ago, but it was dead. _

_Yuffie didn't seem to realize it at first "what's wrong?" She looked down at the bird, and only then did she realize what was wrong. "Hey…" she stammered, and lightly touched the creature that had just been flying moments ago "You…wake up" but the dead will never wake, and the bird was no exception. Yuffie realized what she had done._

"_I…I didn't mean to…" She stammered, "I didn't want to hurt it….I just thought I'll bring the bird to you….because you looked so sad and lonely but you smiled when the bird came…." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as Tifa just stared at her "I didn't mean to…I'm sorry…so sorry…." Her sobs gradually turned to howls._

_Out of pure coincidence, Cid happened to be passing by. He heard the mournful howls and saw Tifa standing in shock, holding a dead bird in her hands while in front of her a slender wolf howled its mournful song to the skies above. Somehow, someway, Cid knew the wolf was somebody he knew. So he rushed forward, grabbed the wolf, and ran before Tifa could realize he was there. _

_After her leader, Yuffie was the next to abandon her humanity. _

Sora had no idea how he knew that.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Thousands of glitter-like substances spread into the air, a short moment of awe-inspiring beauty. Then the sparkles faded away, as the last remains of the troublesome unsent was vanquished. The YRP girls watched this with a sober expression on their faces, contrasting their usual behavior when dealing with not-so-intelligent nuisances whom would simply turn to Ashes. It was always more painful to finish off an unsent, who were held back in the world due to their emotions alone. When dealing with an unsent, more often than not one would have to learn their stories first before successfully putting them to rest, and not only could they be pretty difficult to pierce together, but they were often tragic.

Luckily, their employer Lexaeus was able to provide them the information. After a long chase and brief battle with the unsent, both physically in the hotel and mentally in their minds, the job was done. Seals and incarnations had muffled and disguised the battle, so to the public nothing had ever happened.

With their task accomplished, Yuna and her friends now relaxed in the hotel's restaurant. Not far off, Martin and Karen sat close to each other, drinking from each other's glass. A moment later, Lexaeus came down and joined them. Yuna smiled at him "so, is everything up to your expectations?"

"Even I have difficulty believing it" The man said as he pulled a chair out and sat down. "Not only did you solve the problem, but it was done on the same day you arrive, without any human casualties or property damage. To add icing on the cake, you did it so that no guest here would have noticed the battle, I am amazed." From inside his jacket, the man pulled out a cheque "here's you pay, thirty thousand, and our hotel VIP card for all faculties provided the next time you return."

"It was a pleasure working with you," Yuna smiled as she took the cheque. Rikku took the VIP cards and distributed it to the rest of them, but right at the moment the doors to the restaurant were flung open.

Armored Guado guards, uniformed and frightening, stormed in. Before any of the guests could react, they were surrounded with weapons pointed at them. Some of those foolish enough to fight were slammed roughly against the table or wall. Luckily, Yuna's group did not receive that treatment, but they were still surrounded by the weapons. Lexaeus stared at the weapons pointed at him, and though the man was obviously angry at the sudden intrusion he made no move to fight back. At least, not yet "What is the meaning of this?" he snarled.

A Guado, wearing the uniform of a high-ranking captain, came in. Upon hearing the question, he walked forward towards the group "The order is passed by Lord Orion. Track down the hotel that the Medium of Traverse Town, Tidus Fayth, is currently residing in and arrest him. Keep any possible acquaintance under custody in the hotel; anyone who tries to leave would be killed. For any redheaded boy around the Medium's age, arrest them as well. No one can leave or enter this hotel unless the order is cancelled." As the people stared with expressions ranging from annoyance to fear, the captain turned to one of the guards "find the Medium and bring him here."

"Aye"

Yuna's eyes widened and she exchanged looks with her friends. Redheaded friend? Wakka, the Guado were looking for Wakka, and because Wakka was with Tidus the Guado suspected the Medium as being involved in whatever Wakka did. It made sense now, Orion didn't arrest Tidus back at the Arriving/Departing Centre because he first wanted to look like he was acting by evidence; but now that Wakka – Tidus' friend and accomplice in this trip – had obviously done something, it would be known without blame that the Guado were simply doing their job. The guards made to leave the room, but Rikku spoke up "No!"

The guards paused, temporally stunned, as the blonde girl walked forward and stepped in front of them "You can't interrupt him now!"

"What is she doing?" Paine whispered angrily. Yuna agreed with Paine, Rikku _really_ shouldn't go up to a Guado and just say that. Clearly, the Guado agreed, as the captain spoke again.

"Interrupt him? So he is dreaming, perhaps contacting the rest of his forces?" He turned to his guards "Wake him up quickly, and if you have to, you may attack him. Drag him down here if you have to, but don't kill him yet. The Vampire Riku would be more agreeable if he knows his friend is alive with us." He turned back to Rikku "in the meantime, arrest this girl on suspicion of her being a threat"

The guards obeyed, while a few of them went to the front desk to demand for Tidus' room, a few others seized Rikku. The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously, and at the same time Paine clenched her fists and Yuna's fingers flexed.

"This is bad for business, Guado" Lexaeus snarled, more angrily this time. For the first time, the group sensed something forbidding in their employer, a primitive wild animal about to attack without restraint. Keyword, about, the man was still restricting himself at the moment. "Guado, my customers are usually here after a tiring day, this is going to be troublesome for them"

"Mr. Elitehorns, I am aware that you probably grew up somewhere with civil and human rights. But right now, this place is in war, so such trivial matters are suspended as of the moment."

"Captain, we have his room number" One of the guards announced from the front desk.

"Good," the officer turned to the guards "retrieve the Medium." As soon as he said that, Rikku acted.

A swift punch to a nearby guard and Rikku was free. Her legs shot out and kicked two Guado in the face at the same time. Flipping back, she allowed her weapons to slip into her hands, and their claw-like edge sliced the arms of two more Guado trying to capture her.

Yuna and Paine reacted quickly to this change of events. One of them threw a kick out, while the other pulled out her sword. Neither aimed to kill, but they permanently disabled several guards. A blow from Paine sent a good number of the Guado flat on their backs, and the three girls went back to back. "Rikku, get Tidus out quickly" Yuna ordered "Paine, stay behind with me to deal with these nuisances." Out loud to hotel occupants, she said "Hey, Guado, ever tried going against fairy warfare?"

To hell with keeping a low profile, Wakka already blew their cover.

Of course this wasn't to say people weren't good at keeping low. In Traverse Town, two people who had been keeping low for years now blend into the public as background characters, doing their own thing. One of them was speaking to the other casually "_This was what you were planning, you selfish person. You are a slayer, meant to protect the world with those monstrous creatures, how dare you conduct these experiments to fuse them as one. This very act is….is…_" Reno blinked, than scowled "can't remember, yo"

"These are only a few lines and already you have so much trouble?" Across from him, Cloud recited the words without glancing at the script in his hands "_This very act is against everything you and I have been taught, how could you have committed these crimes? Our superior has favored you for too long, now it will be my sword which will destroy you_"

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't know, everything I know about you is only based on your words"

They were both in the park, sitting on each end of a bench. Reno lay sprawled on the armrest with one leg slung over the seat, while Cloud sat properly with the script in his hands on the other side. As Axel had suggested, Reno had gone to the audition, and he succeeded in getting the small role. The physical movement he could handle, the few lines he had _shouldn't_ be that hard to remember, and however much the whispers of him 'getting the job only because of Axel' surrounded him, he wasn't at all affected. Reno's greatest concern was only that he would get a short-term job, with some cash in the end. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself.

"My role only takes place in the prologue. I am part of this vampire-slaying group, and one day discovers one of my partners working on an experiment to fuse vampires and slayers as one. I challenge the person and his lackeys, but while I am fighting said lackeys he finishes the experiment on himself. He was successful, but apparently it doesn't work on everyone, for when he bites me I simply turn into an insane vampire with an uncontrolled bloodlust. I go around killing people, but in one moment of sanity I give myself up to some slayer trainees, who slay me. The movie than starts with the trainees as adults, seeking to finish off all the vampires created because of the experiment. In case you don't remember, Cloud, that's disturbingly similar to our own history."

"Are you sure that your brother isn't trying to give you a hint?"

"Axel knows not to ask about my past, in exchange I don't ask for his. So we don't say anything about it unless one of us starts to talk. Otherwise, we believe in the saying 'Ask no questions and we tell you no lies'."

"At least the two of you are talking about the present and future"

"Yea, and he admits he is interested in uncovering the Jenova Vampires himself. Mind you, I'm interested in his, shall we say, fellow specimen too. We talk of how our affaires are, so when we get mistaken for the other, we generally know how to treat that person. I didn't tell him about Yazoo though, so I guess that's why Axel didn't try outright killing him. He isn't sure how I would have reacted to Yazoo's death. By the way, from what I got out of him until he closed up, he's helping Aerith capture the Werewolf by using someone as bait. I'll give you full details when I have more information, in the meantime, remember what I told you."

"That a vampire actually discovered my identity, I know. Its going to happen sooner or later anyways, if what you told me about the demon-bearing vampire is correct."

"Call him _Vincent_, he _is_ a former ally after all" Cloud opened his mouth, about to say something, but his cell phone rang. Breaking off, he answered.

"Amako Delivery Service"

"Brother, it's me"

"Loz? What's wrong?"

"Do you know where Kadaj went?"

"No"

"I've tried contacting him for a while, but its not working. Kadaj is never this late for his shift, it worries me"

"Don't worry, he's probably just fooling around again." Reno was murmuring to himself quietly now, practicing the lines, but Cloud knew he was actually listening as hard as he could to the conversation. Cloud didn't stop him; he knew Reno could not hear the other end. Nevertheless, he limited his vocabulary.

"Alright…of course…okay….no problem, goodbye" He hung up and looked back up at Reno. The redhead opened his mouth, about to speak, but the cell phone rang again.

"Amako Delivery Service"

There was a pause, and then the phone hung up. Cloud blinked, and copied the movement. Reno raised an eyebrow "what was that for?"

"Don't know, the person hung up without saying anything. Maybe the person just wanted to hear my voice"

Cloud didn't know that on the other end of the line, Leon had been doing just that. The vampire commander reread the phone number he had discovered with cold satisfaction. Undefined Vampire Number Three was going to be caught very, very soon.

Back at Sora's side, he walked about in the skyscraper, trying to shake off the dream. Last time he checked, he didn't know this 'Yuffie' person, but he knew Tifa. He couldn't believe it, the bartender that he had known for months, the kind woman who acted like a cross between his sister and mother, was also involved in this crazy reality he had been thrown in. Since when, and for how long? Tifa didn't appear to have even _aged_ from that dreamtime till now, and yet Sora knew that the event he saw was from a long time ago. How was it possible? That was what he wanted to know, but at the same time didn't. If indeed Tifa had known about vampires and werewolves, it would mean that his set barriers between his old human world and the one he now found himself in did not exist.

There were still some people around, and they made sure Sora didn't leave the place. Trying to escape their gaze, Sora slipped into the emergency stairs. He didn't understand why the building have them as the occupants here seem capable of simply flying out the window, but concluded that humans must have built the thing first. The place was empty, but still bright, and apparently a good place for secrets as Sora soon heard voices speaking.

"We have to find him before Riku does" a female voice was saying "Shera just contacted me; she said Leon's already sent to gather information, we have to find him now."

"Listen Yuffie, Cloud won't leave his information lying around like that, right?" Sora recognized that voice, wasn't it that man he met in the kitchen, the one who pointed the blood supplies out to him? Cid, that was the name. "Even if he wanted to, Sephiroth would have hidden the information."

"No, remember what Sephiroth said to him on that fateful day? He would bring Aerith and Zack back, that's what he told Cloud. If he did, maybe one of those two leaked information out in hopes that we would find it."

"I can see Aerith doing that" Sora was shocked to hear Vincent's voice. "Maybe she even convinced Cloud to have his information left open to the police. **(1) **If that is true, then we will also have to start looking at anything remotely linked to Cloud's previous life. It will include science labs, delivery services, sword shops and more things than we can count. Not only on him, we would have to look at all seven of them" There was a silence.

"We'll never be getting any sleep" Yuffie said, but there was a hint of excitement in her voice

"Ha," Cid said "sleep is for the weak"

At the same time, in some remote land, a Ronso and his son walked along a river. The son was hopping about cheerfully when he spotted something. Stopping, he called out "Father, look!"

Washed ashore the river was what appeared to be an injured human. He had vivid orange hair, and his tanned skin spoke of long hours in the sun. His clothing was soaked in red "Father, there's a lot of blood" the younger Ronso said. His father only stared at the Guado uniform the stranger was wearing.

"A Guado half-breed?" He questioned out loud. It was then the stranger stirred

"I…" the young man whispered out "I am...not Guado…I am…human…" He passed out again, but he didn't die. When he came again, he saw more than one Ronso standing by him, and he appeared to be indoors.

_"…In his pocket" the father was saying "I found no identification, but he has a picture of himself with the Medium Tidus Fayth. Could he perhaps be one of Vampire Lord Riku's forces?"_

_"He's awake!" Another Guado said, "Call Kairi!" A Guado went out to follow the command. His vision darkened again, but when he next woke he saw a redheaded female, human this time, smiling down at him._

_"How are you?" The girl asked, but didn't expected an answer "My name is Kairi Chida, I'll be the one treating your wounds"_ Darkness took over him again. The next time he woke, he was already feeling better. He sat up slowly and flexed his fingers, and then he moved his feet. He felt no pain, and appear to be still in good condition. It was then the girl, Kairi, returned to his side.

"You should rest some more," she said as she approached him "but seeing you up and on your feet tells me that you should be fine."

"Where am I?" He asked, his voice slightly hoarse. It looked like he was in a little rural home, for there were no 'modern' materials in the room's structure. No metal or plastic, no elegant paintings or designs.

"You are in Gazet River Village, not that far from Mount Gagazet and stationed between Guadosalam." Kairi answered. Wakka stared at her, she stared back at him, and finally she stuck out her hand "I don't know if you remember or heard it, but my name is Kairi Chida. You are…?"

"Wakka" He didn't give her his last name either, it was natural for him not to. Then he realized something "where are my items?"

"Everything is in the chest there" Kairi pointed to one nearby "In the meantime, here's a change of clothes. None of us would appreciate the idea of someone in Guado uniform among us. You can come out when you're done; the news of your arrival has already spread out to our rather small Ronso village."

"If this is a Ronso village, why are you here?"

"I, like you, was rescued by the Ronso. That was years ago when I was only a few months old, now I live here as part of them. It won't be long though, for already I have a marriage proposal, soon I will be leaving this place **(2)**. Get changed now, I'm going down the fields to get some more herbs. You need anything, just ask the Ronso" She turned and left, closing the door behind her. Wakka did as told, and when he was done opened the chest. The empty pouch Paine had given him, a Blitzball the size of a ping pong ball, a pack of gum, some cash and his wallet. Taken out of the wallet was a photo of him, the YRP group, and Tidus. Shoot, the Ronso must have an idea of his identity now. Stuffing them into his pocket, he stepped out of the house.

A group of Ronso was gathered outside, talking. Wakka caught something like "the Guado are approaching now", but when they saw him the conversation was dropped. Instead, the Ronso that appeared to be the elder addressed him "Child, are you alright now? You should take more rest"

"I can't" Wakka replied. He turned to the Ronso that now stood in front of him "Thank you, for saving my life, but I must leave. If I don't, I might cause trouble when the Guado arrive to search for me."

"It's already too late!" Kairi was running towards them, and there was a look of panic on her face. Stopping in front of the elder and Wakka, she announced "There are some troops coming up here right at this moment. I even heard them say, that they're looking for a boy with orange hair who bombed their base with some other mercenaries the Ronso back in Mount Gagazet hired." Wakka sensed more eyes on him for that. The elder turned to him.

"Child, why don't you go to the hills and hid for a while"

"No, I can't leave you all alone"

"You must realize, child, that they would show no mercy"

"It's because they would show no mercy I can't leave you all!"

"Look…if they find out we're hiding you, they'll kill us all too!" The Ronso turned to Kairi "My child, go take him to the hills to hide for the moment." The girl nodded and seized Wakka's hand. While she ran away with him, Wakka heard the Ronso shout "Burn the Guado uniform, everyone else, prepare yourselves for battle. Do not attack right away; we shall see whether we can first settle this calmly." The Ronso rushed to obey.

A few seconds later, the Guado approached and entered the village. The Ronso elder and a few others stood waiting for them, while hidden all around the village the other Ronso prepared their weapons. The Guado stood at a formation, and their leader stepped forward to the Ronso elder. Lord Orion stared at the Elder, and by his side a polished sword gleamed. The Ronso Elder glanced at it before speaking.

"Lord Orion, you bring arms and fire with you, what is your will?"

"You and I both know the answer: for war. However, that is not the issue now. Did you see an injured human with orange hair pass by here? Answer yes, or no"

"No"

"He lies!" One of the Guado guards rushed forward, holding something in his hand "this is the burnt remains of a Guado uniform!" The burnt material, smelling of ash, was held forward. Orion's eyes narrowed, and the Guado's widened.

While that was happening, Riku's eyes blinked at seeing his fledgling lying on his front in the bed, unusually serious. He wasn't moping or sulking, just laid there with the faraway look. Not missing the opportunity, Riku tiptoed forward silently and wrapped his arms around Sora's waist "Missed me?"

As if awaking from his stupor, life flickered back into Sora's eyes. The boy let out a giggle and lightly flicked at Riku's long hair. "No, I'm simply hungry, and I want to go out"

"Hum-let-me-think-about-it-how-about-no?"

"Huh? Why not? I'm bored being cooped up in here!"

"Oh? There are always _other_ things we can do if you want…" It took a while for Sora to understand what Riku was implying. When he did, he face flushed as red as a tomato. Seeing that, Riku nipped Sora's ear lightly "don't worry, I won't force you into anything you're unready for. Even_ I'm_ not that heartless"

Upon hearing that, Sora decided to test it and absentmindly leaned back towards Riku's touch. True to his word, Riku didn't try anything, simply wrapping his arms more comfortably around Sora. The cinnamon-haired boy then remembered what he had heard on the emergency stairs, and paused, wondering whether he should tell Riku.

_Hey Riku I think some of your followers are planning to help your enemy or something escape because I heard them talking about finding the person before Squall could_

Sora blinked, wondering whether he had thought wrong. While Selphie had told him Leon's real name was Squall, Sora had been addressing him as Leon because that was what everyone else seemed to call him. He wondered why he suddenly addressed the man as Squall, but dismissed the idea quickly. There more important matters to think about, such as whether or not he should tell Riku. Speaking of matters…"Riku? What happened outside?"

"More trouble then needed" Riku answered "It doesn't matter, nothing of importance, I'll deal with it" As soon as he said that, Sora knew he was lying. Aside from what Selphie had said about a slayer, Sora just knew, probably due to the bond a vampire and his fledging shared, that Riku was lying to him _again_

Well fine, if Riku wouldn't tell him anything, Sora felt no motive to tell him about what he heard earlier.

In another area of Traverse Town, Marluxia thanked a customer for their purchase of his flowers. When the customer, a rather young and nervous man, left Marluxia expected some peace and quiet. Then when the door banged open and Axel waltzed in, followed by Larxene, Marluxia knew things were going to be interesting soon.

"Good day, you two" Marluxia greeted.

"Good evening!" Axel countered. Behind him, Larxene rolled her eyes. "Guess what?"

"You have another scheme to get Roxas?" Marluxia asked, almost seriously. The grin didn't slip from Axel's face.

"No, no, this is on a business relation, Number XI" At that, Marluxia grew serious. Usually, they didn't call each other by their numbers. "I have two things to talk of; first off, Number IX is back"

"Are you _serious_?" Larxene asked, excited.

"Yup," Axel said as he seated himself on the counter by Marluxia. The florist gave him an annoyed look, and would have told the redhead to get off but he was tired of saying it for the something-hundredth time and getting the same result. The redhead simply just won't move. "In fact, I've passed him some orders from the above already. Let's see whether he is capable"

"Knowing him, he'll probably complain some bit and than do it" Larxene smirked "Looks like we'll have to start treating him more respectably now. Anyhow, what else do you have to tell us? If it's simply telling us about something, you could have just phoned. Why gather us here?"

"Well originally this was supposed to be done with Demyx as well, but then we got a call from our superiors telling Demyx that the orders given to him had to be finished quicker so now it's just the three of us."

"Just like old times, eh Axel?" Marluxia commented.

"Right" Axel smirked. He moved both his hands, and when he held out his palms a ring rested on each hand. He offered one to both his companions "mind wearing them?" Larxene and Marluxia took them easily, Marluxia slipping the ring on a finger while Larxene examined it first. "There's nothing special about these rings except their design, don't be so worried. I'll like you to wear this for at least two weeks. Before you ask, I'm doing this favor for a friend, and I need some help from other people."

"Don't tell me," Marluxia began slowly "that the plan I heard you discussing with Aerith the other day…"

"Is this" Axel finished. Larxene interrupted him before he could say anything more

"Aerith! Aerith Gainsborough, right?" Axel and Marluxia blinked, and nodded. Larxene's eyes gleamed "So it _is_ her! She's one of the Undefined Vampires isn't she?"

"What!" Marluxia shouted.

"You're a bit slow, Larxene, but you're correct" Axel turned to Marluxia "and let me guess, you never knew"

"No, I did not!" Marluxia answered. Axel shook his head and turned back to Larxene.

"How many have you uncovered?"

"With Aerith, I now know two"

"Really, I know four"

"You must have cheated, your brother knows all of them, and he must have told you"

"Really, Larxene, no need to say it like that. I'm not Luxord, I don't think of cheating, winning or losing that much. Back on topic now, the plan here is to use these rings and Demyx as bait for our current Werewolf Head"

"WHAT?" This time, it was Larxene who shouted. Axel waved off their disbelief

"You both must have gotten information in your own ways, surely you must have heard even before they learned of Undefined Vampire Number Three, Leon alerted Riku's forces to Undefined Vampire Number Seven, Aerith Gainsborough. Her leader, of course, wasn't too happy about it and there was a little showdown or something but Aerith has now agreed to capture the Werewolf Head to prove her 'loyalty'. Now, she admitted this herself, and I've promised to help her. I've already got a plan, and with your help, along with the rings and Demyx, the werewolf won't be able to allow this opportunity to escape him."

"Of course," Larxene placed two and two together "I mentioned to you, before Demyx returned to being IX, that the Werewolf Head was starting to observe him. I made it obvious I knew he was watching us, but he didn't stop. It doesn't take a genius to realize he was interested in Demyx, who at that time would be a _normal_ human" She laughed in cold glee. "With recent events the werewolf would use the chance to get closer to his latest interest, but not only would Demyx prove himself stronger than the werewolf imagined, he'll be less likely to follow Zexion when Demyx already has his _own_ masters. Wow, you've even gotten Demyx to help you capture the werewolf! I don't believe it!"

Marluxia chuckled "Axel, you are excellent. Your scheming is unbeatable; I don't even think I could match up to you. It's a good thing I don't have you as an enemy"

"There used to be someone who could possibly match me" Axel admitted, "but he's no longer here. However," he leaned back and placed his elbow on Marluxia's shoulder "if things _do_ go according to plan, he's going to return soon"

"But you just said…" Larxene began

"I'm a schemer, Larxene, true, but I'm a better manipulator" Marluxia and Larxene stared at him, and Axel continued "once the Jenova Vampires – yes Marluxia, the Undefined Vampires' real name is Jenova Vampires – have Zexion, what do you think they would do to him? Obviously they won't kill him so soon, or why go through all the trouble of capturing him first? Zexion might just face torture and interrogation, but when that starts happening…" Axel's grin turned cruel "how long do you think it will be…?"

"Until he remembers how _we_ used to do it." Marluxia answered. He shook his head "What Aerith, what the Jenova Vampires would do to him could _benefit_ us instead, because if things do go as you say…"

"Zexion, the Werewolf Head…" Axel began

"Will soon return_ as Number VI_" Larxene finished. "We'll have a huge advantage against our superiors for this!" **(3)**

**(1) These are possible ideas of why Cloud's information is left so open, any guesses on which one is true?  
****(2) Does this link you to something else in the story?  
****(3) So, this reveals why Zexion used to think that Larxene's and Marluxia's scents were something from his past. I think the conversation here answers almost everything mentioned earlier about Zexion nicely**

**Whee! Axel is still as manipulative as he was in the game, but he does intend to help Aerith. It's just that he's also having some advantages about it. BUT, as we should all know, Axel might not even WANT Zexion back in the first place. After all, he never said he so. So what has our redhead got planned? Leave a review if you want to know! **

**Promotion Anime is the very beginning scene of Yuffie and Tifa; it's from Wolf's Rain. Somehow a fitting scene for them, and this provides a glimpse to what might have happened in the past that result in their current condition. It's a bit odd that someone like Tifa would only 'occasionally' keep contact with her friends, as she mentioned in Chapter Eight _Jenova and Dusk_. **

**Chapter Eleven Promotion Anime: Wolf's Rain**


	12. YOU ALL FALL DOWN!

**I know, the common assumption is that the title should be WE ALL FALL DOWN or THEY ALL FALL DOWN. However, in North America (Canada and USA), another alternative is YOU ALL FALL DOWN. I'm using that one **

**Previously: For unknown reasons Sora has a vision of the past, where Tifa first saw Yuffie as a werewolf, and realizes that the bartender he had known was also involved in his new world. The YRP finish the job Lexaeus had given them, only to be faced with arrest by the Guado under orders from Lord Orion. The three rebel, with Yuna and Paine fighting the guards while Rikku takes Tidus away. Reno and Cloud discuss the new play Reno was going to be in and Cloud unintentionally answers a phone call from Leon. Sora finds out that Yuffie, Cid, and Vincent are planning to find someone before Leon or Riku could, but decides not to tell Riku when the Vampire Lord refused to tell Sora what happened with Wedge. Wakka ends up in a Ronso village and meets Kairi, a girl who had grown up with the Ronso. When the Guado approaches, she takes Wakka away. At Axel's side, he reveals to Larxene and Marluxia that Aerith is one of the Undefined Vampires and gets them involved in a plan, stating also that Demyx was back as IX and soon so would Zexion. **

"He lies!" One of the Guado guards rushed forward, holding something in his hand "this is the burnt remains of a Guado uniform!" The burnt material, smelling of ash, was held forward. Orion's eyes narrowed, and the Guado's widened.

Without warning Orion's sword was drawn and they fell in an arc down the Ronso elder. The elder didn't even have time to react before his body was halved in two, and he dropped dead on the ground. The other Guado responded to this by viciously attacking the surrounding Ronso, and though they fought back it was obvious they couldn't win.

The sounds of the battle stopped Wakka and Kairi in their tracks. Wakka stared back at the village, knowing that they were in danger, before turning back to Kairi. "Listen, I'm going to go back, you find a place to hide and stay there until everything's settled."

"Are you crazy?" Kairi cried "You'll be killed if you go back!"

"I have no choice" At that, Kairi grabbed his hand again.

"The Ronso are an honorable race, they will give up their lives to protect others. If you go back there now, you'll make their attempts fruitless!"

"No, if I go back there then there's a chance they won't have to die at all" He pulled away from her and ran back to the village, calling over his shoulder "Go hide!"

At the small village, all the Ronso except one were now dead. He stared up at the Guado now looming over them, bloodied sword still in hand. "Where is he?"

"Just kill me as well" The Ronso replied. Orion's eyes narrowed, he lifted his sword up when….

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice yelled out. All the Guado turned around and pointed their weapons at the newcomer, and Orion recognized the young man immediately; after all, it was a face he won't ever forget, the one responsible for the bombing of his base.

"So we meet again"

"You wanted to kill me. Why did you have to kill the innocent as well?"

"If they are not on your side, they are the enemy!"

Wakka's eyes hardened and his hands clenched into fists. Orion lifted his sword up again and leaped forward, but Wakka dodged it. Before Orion could take another swing, a Guado's scream pierced the air. Without warning, there was a flash of a large claw-like weapon that forced several Guado back. The owner of the weapon wasn't someone expected; Rikku and Tidus rushed into the scene, effectively forcing the Guado to stay back from them as they sent attack after attack at their surroundings.

"Wakka, are you alright? We managed to track you here only because you used our weapons!" Wakka took the opportunity to bring out his ping-pong sized Blitzball, and as if by his will alone the ball swell into a proper size, which he then used against another Guado. While the ball knocked the Guado out, Wakka answered.

"Kill all the Guado here! They slaughtered this village, and would only get us in trouble!"

"No problem!" The fairy and Medium knew that if any Guado saw them they could be traced back to Traverse Town and Lord Riku. All the Guado here, if spared, would only tell their superiors what happened. Lord Riku's forces would then really clash with the Guado and start another war. Therefore, none of them can survive and tell the tale. As it was, the Guado now got a taste of their own medicine as Wakka, Rikku, and Tidus viciously attacked them, and it was obvious that the three were superior.

Finally, a Guado yelled out "Lord Orion, you must leave, we'll fight with them!" Orion knew at the rate his forces were decreasing, he would not be able to survive the fight. He briefly met Wakka's eyes once more, before turning and fleeing. Wakka didn't hesitate, he sent his Blitzball at another Guado, smashing their head against the ground, before retrieving the ball and running after Orion.

How long they ran, Wakka didn't know, he just knew he was fueled by deep anger and hatred as he chased the Guado. Finally, Orion turned and tried to attack, but Wakka returned the favor with his Blitzball. Both exchanged a few attacks before they paused momentarily.

"Dog of the Ronso" Orion began "I'll be using your blood to avenge my comrades!"

"Coward who ran away from battle," Wakka answered "Let's see whose blood will spill first!"

The two pounced, going at each other's throats both literally and physically. They fought for several minutes, but it felt like hours. With the frequent movement, it wasn't long before the two of them fell into the Gazet River. The splashing scared off several small animals as Wakka and Orion stood back up on their feet. Undaunted by their new setting, the two continued fighting, even as their blood mixed into the river; and as it flowed down it drew the attention of another person.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He liked to think of it as curiosity, but after hearing the conversation at the stairs Sora found himself extremely interested in the lives of Riku's supporters.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy to gain such information. He was a relatively newcomer here, and he knew the vampires and werewolves and whatever else around were not so trusting of him. Riku obviously didn't trust him totally either, if he continued to hide things from him. Sora knew he was starting to accept Riku, but what was a relationship without trust?

"_But you know," His dead cousin's voice said "nowadays many relationships are not based on trust or love. It's more of lust, of benefits, or for the love of money. Many people no longer care for love, because they themselves do not believe in true love anymore" _

Sora had seen more then enough to prove that, but deep down the naïve and gentle side of him wanted desperately to be loved and cared for. His immediate family had not given him that, but his cousins have. Now with them out of the picture, Sora found himself missing both terribly, and if he wasn't then he was looking at the people around him with despair.

He looked at Riku, lying still as death on the – their – bed. If Sora was one of the people his dead cousin had described, he really would be happy. Riku was good looking, had power, and no doubt had wealth if he could live in a place like this. He stared at Riku, and slowly reached out to touch his hand. As soon as he did so, his vision flashed.

_Riku was running and jumping over tree roots as he tried to get to somewhere before it was too late the sky was so dark and when he burst in he saw the place was in flames…Zexion was holding a silver sphere in his hands and saying something about power and how they should deal with potential rivals…Leon was on one knee in front of him reporting the recent activities of the slayers…a figure presented him a sword slowly warning him about the responsibilities…Tidus was turning towards him and formally greeting the new Vampire Lord…Sora was in the alley struggling to escape…_

Sora withdrew his hand quickly. He stared at his hands in shock, wondering what was happening to him. Almost panicking, he scrambled off the bed and into the washroom. He splashed water at his face to calm himself, and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was not having hallucinations, Sora was sure what he saw was legitimate, but how so? He reached for some paper towel, wondering what he should do now. Tell Riku? Perhaps this was some sort of vampire ability, he though as he tossed the paper towel into the trash bin and paused. Maybe…this skill might come into use. Was it considered an invasion of privacy if he continued trying to see people's memories?

If he was going to do something like that, he might as well have a direction to go first. This Yuffie person then, she knew Tifa, and is apparently planning something against Riku's wishes. Exiting the washroom, he left Riku's room and headed down the skyscraper. He popped his head into the emergency stairway, but heard nothing. Stopping a passerby in the skyscraper, he asked where she was.

"No idea, fledging. Earlier she was at the restaurant, but then she received a phone call and left in a hurry."

The next thing they knew, Riku flew past them midway through his jump from the top floor to the ground floor lounge. He called out several names before disappearing out the doors in a hurry.

Yuffie had her own right to leave in a hurry. The young werewolf jumped from rooftop to rooftop till finally taking a leap down towards Seventh Heaven. She quickly entered the place and went to the counter, ignoring a blond employee – Nora? Nara? Namine? – As she slipped onto a seat "Tifa? Where is he?"

"He left just a few seconds ago" Tifa's hands shook "I know it was him! He may have gelled down his spikes and dyed his hair black, but it was him! He was using his disguise to come see me for the first time! Reno told me Cloud might be remembering soon, but Reno never told Cloud about where we currently _are_. Cloud must have remembered Seventh Heaven by now, but he left before we could properly have a conversation because some guy was starting to cause trouble."

"Then I better go find him now. If my sources are correct Leon's closing in on Cloud, disguise or no"

"And Yuffie, the guy appeared to be hitting on Cloud earlier so if you find the body, remove or destroy it before Riku's or Sephiroth's forces find out"

The man who had been causing trouble earlier was now following Cloud into the alleyway nearby. In other words, the same alleyway where Sora was turned and where Reno taser a man before said man got his blood sucked out by Sora. Cloud beckoned for the biker-wannabe to approach, and he did so eagerly. As the man started sucking on his ear, Cloud pressed his lips on the man's neck, and slowly bared his fangs. Just as he was about to sink his fangs into the man's skin, the man was suddenly pulled away from him.

Vampire Commander Leon stared down at him as the commander threw the biker away carelessly over his shoulder. Leon leaned forward toward Cloud and spoke "stop draining your victims completely, you'll only raise the attention of slayer organizations"

"And so what? Riku's forces have always disposed of the more troublesome ones" Cloud glared at the other vampire and turned away. He knew he shouldn't leave his back open to the commander, but at the moment he didn't care. The Jenova Vampire returned to his motorcycle – not Fenrir, but a normal motorcycle without the swords – and rode off, half angry at himself, half angry at the world. He needed to release some anger, but the dear commander just had to come and mess up his chance.

When he had been with Reno earlier, the redhead was talking of how there was going to be seven lackeys he was suppose to attack in the play. Somehow, the word 'seven' had turned to 'seventh' and he suddenly remembered dark counters and cold drinks. Rather then mention it to Reno as he was used to whenever a memory came up, Cloud had stayed silent. When the two separated, Cloud had gone wandering by himself and ended up in the Seventh Heaven Bar. The sudden flashes his mind received when his eyes fell on Tifa told him she was someone that should be important to him.

The motorcycle sped up. Cloud knew, from Reno's words, that she was from his hometown. His dim memories told him she had fought by his side several times, and Reno confirmed that they belonged to an old radical group named AVALANCHE. "But that was in the past" Reno had said "Nowadays that group does not exist anymore and if the members are not dead, they've also abandoned their humanity, except for Tifa, who is given the curse of eternal life on something due to your part when she tried to bring you back from a catatonic state." Reno refused to give more details on that until Cloud gained back more memories.

What Cloud had remembered starkly was the promise he had made, a promise to protect her. That had been one of his first memories even before he met Reno, but he had still been unable to truly identify the girl he had made it to. Now he was able to put a face to the faceless, he was angry; angry at himself for taking such a long time to remember, and angry at the world for putting him through this chain of events. Refocusing back on the street, he saw something that made him quickly pull a stop.

A car stood in the middle of the road. On the driver seat was a female with honey-colored hair that turned up at the end. Sitting beside her was a man who bore similar colors to Vincent, but he was older and less pale. Behind them Cloud could sense the presence of a Vampire Lord, Riku.

Cloud's eyes narrowed, without warning he slammed down on the gas. The motorcycle charged forward, but the occupants of the car didn't move. The red-cloaked man glanced at his watch, and waited. The motorcycle suddenly started losing control, it veered right, then left, then without warning crashed. An explosion of brilliant fire and smoke was created, consuming the motorcycle and its rider. At least, it did on first glance. While the fire remained blazing, a figure slowly walked out of the flames. A shield of blood, seeming to come from the back of the vampire's injured hand, protected Cloud from any other injury. As the Jenova Vampire walked out he appeared to be healing with every step he took, turning back to his previous appearance. The only exception was his hair; which had reverted back to its spiky blond.

The female raised her hand, as if it was a signal several nearby boxes suddenly flew forward towards Cloud. Something like a hiss escaped Cloud's lips, and before the boxes could even touch him his blood-shield surged forward, throwing the boxes away from him almost viciously. The Vampire Lord Riku let out a breath "That's enough now, Selphie, you may stop." The female on the driver seat nodded as the Vampire Lord continued "Auron, looks like your idea has indeed succeeded in telling us the survival rate of these Undefined Vampires, any normal one would have died in that crash and explosion." Auron nodded, and he watched as Riku got out of the car to see the Undefined Vampire personally.

Cloud watched the Vampire Lord as he stepped forward. He could sense the power of this Vampire Lord, it was an impressive amount. Yet he refused to be intimidated so easily, he was going to die fighting before betraying any information about his clan. "How did you find me?"

"You left your information open to the human police" Riku answered. "Thanks for the tip-off, I'll be looking for this Aerith in those files as well"

Cloud's eyes hardened. The blood that had earlier worked as his shield morphed into a large sword, and he grasped it tightly before moving forward. He drew his hand back, ready to start an attack, but with a _whoosh_ Leon stood in front of him, gunblade swinging down. Cloud responded to the challenge, and his blood sword smashed against Leon's weapons. Before he could actually get into the fighting, a voice cried out "Cloud!"

Yuffie ran forward, almost out of breath. She had found Cloud's possible victim alright, but he was unharmed, and he was cursing 'a leather-dressed man who thought he was so cool with a scar across his face'. Yuffie knew that Leon had indeed found Cloud, and so had rushed off following his scent. Just as she arrived, it appeared as if she was already too late; Riku, Auron, Selphie, and Leon were already having a face off with Cloud. Yet at her cry, Cloud jumped backwards away from the fight and gave her a brief glance. Seizing the chance, she cried "By now you must have an idea of what you're doing! Don't fight for a man who would have killed us if he knows what's happening!"

Cloud titled his head slightly at her, and even Leon stopped fighting to stare at Yuffie. What the hell…? Did this ninja-girl, part of the werewolf division of SEED, _know_ the Undefined Vampire? "Kisaragi, are you confessing you knew the Undefined Vampires?"

"Cloud!" Yuffie completely ignored her superior "Don't fight with Riku's forces! Some of us are still here! You've seen us!"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Cloud answered "but I could say that I would have fought Vincent if I was given the chance. Werewolf, don't try to negotiate with me. I'll die before turning into a traitor!" He swung his sword back at Leon. Yuffie shook her head in despair, this really can't be happening. Sure she knew Cloud's memories were mostly screwed up thanks to a certain general, but she would have thought Cloud would remember something by now since he had gone to Tifa. Well fine, if Cloud won't remember by himself, she'll help him remember, just like Tifa had done a long time ago.

Cloud and Leon were in the midst of fighting each other when Yuffie suddenly interfered. The girl exchanged blows with Cloud in a frighteningly determined manner. Cloud accepted this almost easily as he fought her, but after a moment his actions seem more hesitant, for Yuffie seemed to know almost all his weak points. Only his fast reaction prevented her from triumphing him, and Yuffie spoke of it "even if you've forgotten us, _we_ won't forget you. You indirectly trained me yourself, Cloud! I've watched you fight for hours; I know almost all your patterns!" Forget about keeping a cover, forget Riku or Zexion or all her current superiors, Yuffie didn't care, not when her former leader was now in front of her with a chance of redemption. Not when there was a chance she would see Aerith again. "I'll drag you back to our side if I have to, Cloud Strife!"

The name struck a chord within Cloud 'Amako', and his next blow was heavier then the ones before. Yuffie fell back and her weapon flew out of her hands. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked up, watching as Cloud raised his sword and brought his sword down….

…Only to stop barely an inch from her skin.

For that split second Yuffie saw a flicker of the Cloud she remembered, the confused young man that had, despite faults, won her loyalty and respect as a leader. The one who had willingly given his life away in exchange for hers and all their friends'.

She took a hold of the sword and moved it away slowly, as if trying not to alarm the Jenova Vampire in front of her, and slowly stood up. When Cloud didn't attack, she spoke softly to him, not caring that her superiors and fellow SEED member was listening. "You didn't kill me like you were aiming to earlier" she whispered. "You must have remembered something about me….back at the days of AVALANCHE, the Great Ninja…"

"Yuffie…" Cloud finished. As soon as he said that, Yuffie shoved the sword away angrily and shouted.

"If you can remember your former companions, why are you still fighting for an enemy? And I don't mean a _former_ enemy, they are all still an enemy!"

"Simple," another voice added. "Because he's been tainted too deeply by his leader already" Cloud jumped away just as a large sword flew forward and smashed to the ground, where he had been standing just moments ago. He turned around and, along with Yuffie, glared at the person who had interrupted them. While they had been distracted, Auron had left the car and now stood beside Leon, weapon ready. "Yuffie, how long have you known about the Undefined Vampires? More importantly, exactly when were you planning to be telling us you two knew each other?"

"I don't know her" Cloud answered, "I _used_ to know her. That is the only reason I hesitated, otherwise I would have killed her like I would have usually done. Last time I checked, I don't have any relations to you though" Ignoring Yuffie's shout of '_don't_!' Cloud leaped to Auron and threw his sword forward. It went right through Auron's stomach, but that area only shimmered and blurred; Auron did not appear to be affected at all. Cloud stared in shock and surprise, he tried to dig his sword deeper in before looking up at the man, who shook his head.

"Cloud," he addressed in an almost surprisingly calm voice "I am an unsent, few weapons can kill me. I would kill you too, but Vincent Valentine has asked us to spare your life. I don't know what relationship you had with him or the werewolf Yuffie, but for them I would not hurt you…for now. You must be tired from all the fighting, why don't you sleep for now?" Auron's whole body shimmered and blurred, and Cloud fell right past him. The blonde managed to turn at the last second and landed with his back on the floor. The blood-sword morphed back into a shapeless form before withdrawing back into the injury, which promptly closed once the blood was back inside the body.

Riku, accompanied by Selphie, now stepped out and approached the unconscious Undefined Vampire. Leon and Auron approached from their sides and studied the vampire with their eyes. Yuffie made to move forward, but she stopped when Selphie held her weapon out in front of her. Riku didn't turn around when he spoke "Congratulations, Leon; where Wedge has failed you have succeeded. There will be no demotion for you after this. Selphie, take Yuffie into custody for now. She is to be imprisoned until Tidus returns. Leon, you're in charge of this Undefined Vampire."

"What!" Oh, Yuffie knew where this was going "you're going to have me mind-scanned by the Medium?" Where Riku ignored her, Yuffie yelled louder "Let me tell you now, Riku! While I live I'll be monitoring what my mouth decides to tell you! I'll die choking on my tongue, before turning traitor and spilling all my secrets!" She allowed Selphie to seize her without resistance, but she continued "He may be a Medium, but I have enough cards to prevent him from finding out everything! Just you wait, Riku! I've served you and Zexion for years, you know my attitude well enough! Don't expect Cloud to tell you anything either, because_ I've_ known him for long enough! You won't learn anything unless he wants you to! _Just you wait_!"

Not far away, Roxas wandered about in the streets, wondering why he suddenly felt a strange tingling at the back of his neck. It was a bad omen, the last time it was tingling two members of the Organization as well as an innocent person** (1)** were attacked by the Guado. What bad news will he next be given?

He heard the loud honking of a car before a vibrant red sports car rolled up beside him. Roxas didn't stop walking, so the car followed his pace, irritating the boy slightly and he turned to the window "What now, Axel?"

The driver window rolled down, and Axel grinned up at him. "No shouting Roxas, I'm here purely for business this time. We're having trouble with one of our employees. He's the one that was suspected of selling confidential information to that other company, Empire Corp. Apparently we don't have enough _evidence_ to get rid of the guy, so the administration thinks it's time to personally interfere. Want to come along?"

"…alright" Roxas walked around the car and slipped in beside the driver seat. They soon arrived to Sunset Street, the area where Traverse Town's dark sky met the outside world **(2)**. Axel parked his car behind some bushes before walking towards the correct house. Once they found it, Roxas froze in his movements. Axel said nothing, merely took Roxas by the hand and led him to the door. When Axel knocked, Roxas asked quietly "Shouldn't we be more subtle about this?"

"Well, where else can we get in the house? We've checked before, the guy has a pretty tight security. You of all people should know" Needless to say, when they heard approaching footsteps Axel yanked Roxas up and quickly climbed up onto the wall above the door. When a man opened said door, Axel crawled, upside down, into the door from above. Once inside the house, he and Roxas dropped back down onto their feet. The sound caused the man to whirl around, and his eyes widened.

"So traitor," Axel said smoothly as he walked into the house "how has life been for you lately? Ah, is that a new TV? You must have gotten a lot of money selling out the company's information."

"Axel Fujiwara?" The man looked frightened for a moment, before his face turned angry "Hey! What are you doing at my house uninvited? Get out!"

"Phew! You called some prostitutes or something? It stinks here!" Axel continued. He made a show of finding a clean spot before sitting down on a sofa. Roxas and the man watched as Axel placed his feet on the coffee table in front of him before speaking again "Quite frankly, I believe you should know why I'm here"

"That again? You have no evidence!" The man clearly ignored Roxas' presence.

"Let me tell you something, my dear employee, Dusk Corp has a way of knowing many things. Besides, you and I both know whether you've truly done it or not. Sure, cover yourself up with lies and money, your layers are nothing more then that; _layers_. Dusk Corp has sent me here to cut them away" Axel reached into his pocket and pulled out something. It was a small, round object, glowing with a faint blue light. Roxas' and the man's eyes widened.

"A long time ago when Dusk Corp was just starting to gain fame" Axel began "there was a lot of people opposing our rise. The more conservative people, the other businesses, personal rivals…Dusk Corp had a lot of enemies and oppressors. The public got intimidated by the violence that could break out anytime a Dusk worker met with a supposed enemy. It wasn't long before the Dusk founders decided it was time to put a more united front. Never go anywhere alone, never talk to anyone alone. If a kid throws a rock at you, you throw two rocks back. If two stones are thrown at you, you throw four back. If an adult refuses to treat you respectfully, return the favor and spit in their face. It a family treats you badly, gather your family _and_ friends to confront them. If one of us gets hurt, _everyone_ helps. Mess with one person, mess with everyone. If a person backs out, they are thrown out of the group and sometimes beaten to be shown as an example to everyone else. Through that thinking, did you know that at one time Dusk created its own private army? There is a famous legendary quote to describe them," Axel held his hand out. The blue orb rose into the air and it's glow grew stronger.

"_They will come forth along with the blue Will of the Wisps_." **(3)**

Roxas closed his eyes just in time as an inhuman shriek filled the air. The smell of smoke and burning flesh assaulted his nose and he almost felt like choking. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, but didn't dare open his eyes. He heard something fall, and another howl pierced the air. There was another _whoosh_ of fire, and soon the sounds of movement ceased. The flames gave another crackle before fading off, and the smoke cleared.

A hand reached out and pulled him to a warm chest. Roxas opened his eyes and found himself in Axel's embrace. The redhead blocked his view of what Roxas knew would be a charred and burnt body. He didn't hug back, merely said "wasn't that a bit too far?"

Axel pulled him back and stared at Roxas in the eyes. When Roxas stared back, Axel gave a sigh "Don't look at me like that, Roxas. It was necessary for the Company…and the Organization's well being. That man would have ruined us, besides…" He pulled Roxas into his embrace once more "you had to see for yourself his denial to the very end."

Roxas shifted and looked over Axel's shoulder. The sight would have made any normal person vomit, but Roxas wasn't any normal person. The man was not only dead, his body was ruined. There would be no rest in peace for him. Roxas felt his heart momentarily clench. The man used to play an important role in his life, and though Roxas no longer kept contact with him seeing the man's dead body was somewhat unsettling. Axel probably had no problem with killing him, but then again Kenneth was nothing but another chess piece in Axel's games, just like Roxas was…

Larxene wouldn't be so sure about their possible relationship if she knew everything that happened. As Roxas had told her, Axel used him, and Kenneth was also another person who was used. If Axel would so calmly sacrifice this chess piece, how was he going to treat Roxas any different? **(4)**

Outside of Sunset's street eternal sunset sky, the skies of Guadosalam were now dark; black as it was night. A full moon's glow gave light to two figures who were _still_ fighting each other. Wakka and Orion were out of breath and tired, but both refused to back down. They were fueled by their own anger, and were determined to knock out the other. Then, just as Wakka appeared to have taken an advantage, a voice yelled "human! Stop your attack on the Guado Lord!"

A Guado stumbled forward, and to Wakka's horror, struggling in his arms was the redheaded healer Kairi. A sword was pressed by her throat, but it didn't stop Kairi from screaming "I'm sorry Wakka! I'm sorry! I was waiting for you and they sneaked up on me! The whole village is dead! He told me that himself!" Wakka's heart took a dive, no way, Tidus and Rikku _couldn't_ have died so easily. Lies, that must be it, or this Guado didn't stay behind long enough to see his friends arrive; but that wasn't important at the moment. Wakka glanced at the sudden smug grin on Orion's face before turning to the other Guado.

"You wanted to kill me, don't use the woman to blackmail me!"

"Very well!" The Guado shouted, and almost happily slit Kairi's throat. She let out a final cry before sinking to the floor, Wakka's eyes widened in horror.

"Kairi!" He rushed forward, but the Guado threw his sword forward and it pierced through Wakka's skin. Pain erupted over him, but Wakka used his last strength to throw his Blitzball forward. The ball smashed the Guado's head back to the ground, killing him quickly. Wakka himself fell back, and he heard Orion let out a triumphed war cry before rushing forward with his sword raised. Wakka knew it was all over when…

"FREEZE!" A voice shouted. It didn't sound like a spell or signal, it didn't even sound frightening, but the sudden yell startled Orion so much the Guado leader stumbled and stopped. Wakka lifted his head up to stare at the newcomer.

The person was cloaked in black, and he had a hood on. Upon seeing that he had gotten their attention, the person let out a breath of relief before greeting them "Okay…I'm trying to look for some people here. I'm pretty sure they should be here since there was Guado and human blood mixed into the Gazet River. Hang on, let's see here…" The person pulled off their hood. Dirty blond hair and blue eyes stood as a stark contrast to the black of his leather cloak. Orion's eyes narrowed suddenly, as if realizing who the blond was.

"Let's see…ah, here are the cue cards Axel gave me. Hey, you're Lord Orion himself! Good thing I have this picture of you here. As for any possible human-looking people…and since you're male…_you_ must be Wakka! Though you two certainly look worst then your pictures" The blond said cheerfully, as if blind to the injuries the two bore and the two corpses nearby.

"That outfit…" Orion snarled "You're from that organization of mutants aren't you?"

"Now that's just plain rude!" The young man cried. "I do have a name, it's Demyx! I was sent here to escort you personally; you should be flattered to have seen me!"

"You're right, I am glad to see you" Orion replied as his attention shifted completely to the newcomer "just so I can finish what my other companions couldn't!" The Guado swung his sword, and Demyx sighed.

"Well, no friendly chat time then?"

"Like I'll talk to you rejects" There was a pause, and Demyx shook his head. When he looked back at Orion, the cheerful smile was replaced with a cold one.

"Silence, you hypocrite"

As those words slipped from his lips, water began surrounding the figure, and Demyx moved his hands in its rhythm. From one of his fingers, a ring gleamed **(5)**. Then a sitar appeared in his hands, and somehow Wakka felt a chill. Especially when he heard Demyx cry out "Hey Kairi! I'm pretty sure you're not dead so easily! Get up!"

The motionless form on the ground rouse, zombie-like, and straightened to her feet. Her eyes glowed in a rather eerie light. The last words Wakka heard before he passed out were "Dance Water Dance!" The last thought that crossed his mind was how similar Kairi was to Namine, with her frightening eyes and clenching fists.

How he survived, he didn't know, but when he next woke dawn had approached. He heard someone calling his name, and turned his head to see Tidus and the YRP group running towards him. "Wakka…" Tidus nearly choked in relief "you're alive, you're actually alive. I was so afraid that you would be dead…"

"You had us worried sick!" Yuna cried as she knelt beside him "what happened?"

"You're unharmed too!" Rikku exclaimed. "Jeez Wakka, value your life a bit more, if you're uninjured, don't go sleeping anywhere and become target practice for the Guado!"

_Uninjured?_ Wakka looked down at himself, there was no sight of blood or wound. He didn't feel any pain, and even the sword that should have stabbed him was gone. Paine was talking, and he forced himself to listen "we've caused enough trouble here now. We managed to silence every Guado that has seen us, but to stay here longer would be a risk. We have to return, our employer has arranged a secret ride for us back to Traverse Town. Let's hurry up and leave, we have tons to tell you."

"Yea" Tidus agreed as he helped Wakka to his feet "especially me, you had no idea who I was visiting the dreams of" Wakka nodded absently and looked around. They were alone. There was no sign of Orion, Kairi, or Demyx. Even the body of that Guado officer was gone.

**(1) He means the 'third party', he doesn't know it's Demyx  
(2) ****The place where the Jenova Vampires and the Medium lives in  
(3) ****Will of the Wisps is the faint blue light usually seen over bogs or swamps at night time. They are usually associated with the supernatural. In Lord of the Rings, they were mentioned as Candles of Corpses (Two Towers). In Harry Potter, they were creatures named Hinkypunks (Prisoner of Azkaban)  
(4) ****Chapter Eight _Jenova and Dusk_, Roxas mentioned Axel used him, hence his thoughts here with Kenneth. What did Axel do? To be revealed later in the story  
(5) ****Yes, it's the ring involved in Axel's plans **

**The Guadosalam arc is coming to an end! Next up, Organization XIII! Soon you'll be seeing all of your favourite Organization members, but to see that you'll have to review! So my dear readers, what did you think of this chapter? This ties Demyx's business with the YRP group's. Some more past information about Dusk Corp here too, but it's a darker side of it. **

**Things are spiraling downwards, hence the title of this chapter. Sora's planning to use his new ability to his own advantage. The FFX group has officially reached a point of no return in their collision with the Guado (Orion and his forces have been terminated). Cloud is finally caught by Riku's forces. As a response, Yuffie has turned against them. Dusk Corp is going back to its 'old ways' in dealing with people it views unfavourably. **

**Some of you might have caught the really obvious anime promotion in this chapter. The Will of the Wisps, though not known by name, has been seen in many pop cultures. Yes, I know my portrayal isn't 100 percent correct, but then the direct quote following was pretty obvious. Roxas' tingle on the neck and Axel's reference to layers was quite obvious too. Pumpkin Scissors was the anime for this chapter. I haven't finished watching it yet, but so far so good. **

**Chapter Twelve Promotion Anime: Pumpkin Scissors **


	13. Traitorous

**Did readers notice the amount of times the word traitor appeared in the last chapter? It was meant as a bit of foreshadowing to this chapter. Betrayal is going to be a major factor in this story, not only among the vampires either, with Marluxia and Axel in the story…**

**Previously: The Ronso village has been slaughtered, but the Final Fantasy X group has killed Orion's soldiers, now they are reunited and are going to return to Traverse Town. Lord Orion himself is killed, either by Demyx's or Kairi's hands. Sora is considering the possibility of using his visions to find out more information from the other vampires. Meanwhile, Yuffie pays a visit to Tifa before running off after Cloud. Unfortunately, any chance of reconciliation is ruined when Leon, Riku, Auron and Selphie engage Cloud in a face off and Cloud loses consciousness while Riku orders Yuffie's imprisonment. Axel takes Roxas with him to deal with Kenneth, an unfaithful employee of Dusk Corp and one of the former players in Axel's games, and talks of how Dusk Corp once had its own private army – which Axel is suspected of once being part of. **

The whispers fluttered in the halls and corridors, speaking of a small victory at last. Vampires and werewolves hung on the balconies, slouched on the sofas, leaned on walls and doorways. Zell was one of the vampires in a stranger position; he and several other SEED members were sitting on the chandelier, hanging at the centre of the skyscraper itself. He listened to the whisperings around him, as his fellow companions talked of what their Vampire Lord could be doing. Zell mostly ignored it, since it was mostly guesses, and stared instead at the front entrance. Not long after, the doors opened.

Riku first stepped in, and over his left shoulder Auron followed. Leon then arrived, and he was caring a figure in his arms. The person was rather slender, and with his head falling back his blond spiky hair appeared more gravity-defying then normal. Zell recognized the person immediately, and jumped off the chandelier to meet Leon head on. Upon closer inspection, Zell knew for sure this was his attacker.

"You caught him"

"All this time his information was right under our nose" Riku answered "and now, we've caught him. Cloud Amako, Undefined Vampire Number Three; but while we have one victory we also suffer another loss" Riku turned towards his audience "I now announce Yuffie Kisaragi, SEED werewolf, to be imprisoned for an undefined amount of time until she reveals her information – her former alliance with the Undefined Vampires. Selphie Tilmitt, SEED vampire, is to be responsible for her. In the meantime, the Commander here will be responsible for the Undefined Vampire."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"_It was because you chose to save one life over the world's that we've now lost!" Yuffie screamed. Cloud said nothing as he held onto Tifa's limp body, and Yuffie continued "Why did you let Sephiroth do this to you? Why did you let Kadaj's gang win? Tifa wouldn't be happy if she knew you chose her over the fate of this planet!" _

"_No," Cloud whispered "not over the planet. Sephiroth's deal was less drastic, Tifa's life…in exchange for mine" _

The pupils under Cloud's closed eyelids began to move.

"_I'm trying to remember something" Cloud said as he rested his head on Sephiroth's shoulder. A normal vampire's body would be cold, but they were of Jenova, and Sephiroth's warmth lulled Cloud into a sense of comfort. At the moment they were alone, at a cliff facing a large waterfall, a wonderful and awe-inspiring sight. "Yet at the same time, I feel like if I do, I would regret it" _

_Sephiroth's fingers ran through Cloud's spiky hair, and his voice easily wiped Cloud's worries away "If so, don't try to remember. The past is the past, we should look at the present and future." Cloud nodded, and would have taken the advice had not the feeling of being watched washed over him, and he looked over his shoulder. _

_Aerith stood behind several tree branches and her green eyes gleamed with anger. An uncontrolled fury and hatred that startled Cloud immensely. He didn't understand Aerith's grudge, didn't understand what he or Sephiroth did to deserve it, but every time he asked Aerith remained mute, and Sephiroth's eyes would grow colder then hers. _

Cloud opened his eyes. He was lying on his back in a glass coffin, elegant and cold. He sensed the enchantments placed on it, the coffin couldn't be opened from the inside. He looked further from the coffin and saw he was in a dark room. Small, with no furniture but a chair at the side; there were no windows, and only one door which appeared to be locked. Said door soon opened and the Commander Leon walked in. The vampire approached the coffin and stopped "you're awake" A statement, not a question.

"Release me" Cloud whispered, then raised his voice "You better release me!"

"You know as well as I do that I can't" Leon answered. He stared at the furious blue eyes, glowing with an unnatural light, and continued "Cloud…Strife, I have a message to you from Vincent Valentine: Don't go against Lord Riku" Cloud ignored it.

"If you are the Squall Leonhart that Aerith once spoke so highly of" A flicker of surprise entered Leon's eyes when Cloud said that name "you'll either release me, or kill me now."

"I have no order to kill you yet" Leon answered "And if even Vincent asks me to spare your life, it is the only way I can repay him for his previous loyalty. As for the name Aerith addresses me with, I have long relinquished it. Nowadays, I go by the name of Leon."

"What will Aerith say," Cloud replied angrily "if she sees what you have now become! She remembers you well, and thinks so highly of you. Yet you have changed, I have heard of how cold Riku's right hand man is, but Aerith has always shed light for you."

"Do not bring her up so casually" Leon hissed. "She left me first, for the sake of playing hero. Perhaps all the Undefined Vampires are like this? Another reason why I would have to keep a close watch on all of you, and imprison you till judgment has passed, that is, if you don't die first." He turned and went back to the door, and Cloud's anguished screams followed him.

"Squall Leonhart! Release me now! If you're not going to release me then just kill me now! I speak of Aerith to measure your emotions for her, but for any other Undefined Vampire you won't get any information!" Leon glanced back behind him to see the back of Cloud's spiky hair "I won't play traitor Leonhart! I'll bite off my own tongue; I'll kill myself, before I betray my clan! You'll only regret having me here so release me now or kill me!"

Several miles away in Guadosalam, Lexaeus watched as the YRP gang, along with Tidus and Wakka, got quickly into a small van. This was an extra precaution since they were pretty sure they had eliminated every Guado who had seen them, but who knows if a non-Guado decided to rat them out. Lexaeus assured them that even if that had happened; the van would have taken them away by then, for the van was computerized to take them to Traverse Town, drop them off, and return. No driver would be available for the Guado to track down and question. "It's a pity, but it seems as if you won't be allowed to stay in Guadosalam for a while. Perhaps you may return when things are more stable"

"Of course" Yuna answered "we wouldn't want to waste those VIP cards. In the meantime, if you have any further need of us, remember to arrange a ride of security." The group bid goodbye, and the van drove off. Lexaeus returned to his office in Castle Oblivion, to find someone already there waiting for him.

"Operation, successful" Demyx smiled as he spun around in Lexaeus' chair. "The Guado Lord has been eliminated, any other Guado whom the YRP group missed have also been taken care of." Lexaeus chuckled as he moved forward and yanked the smaller male out of his chair. While Demyx squawked indignantly, the other man sat down on his chair and picked up his desk phone. He dialed a number, and then pressed the speaker button. The other person soon picked up on the other line, and his voice filled the room.

"Saix speaking"

"Good day Saix, I just want to inform you that the YRP group has acted accordingly to plan, Orion and all his forces have been eliminated. Demyx has taken care of the rest; his skills seem to be still adequate."

"What about the Medium, or his friend?"

"Judging from what I heard from their whispered conversations, they played a significant role. As you said a few days ago, the Guado are definitely regretting what they did **(1)**. It's a pity they don't know it's the _mutants'_ fault. I bet they're all just upset that some of their stronger forces have been wiped out by an unknown enemy."

"We have the YRP group as scapegoats for this. However it seems as if our Superior isn't exactly happy with us. Well, I might be jumping to conclusions but he's calling us for a meeting in a few days. You're responsible for bringing Number IX"

"I understand"

"Goodbye" The phone hung up.

At the mentioned scapegoats' van, Wakka was telling the others what had happened after he had left them. As he finished, he realized something else and turned to Tidus "you were fighting along with us, is your mental state still functioning?"

"I didn't kill anyone, Wakka, if that's what you're asking. I simply disabled and injured them, YRP finished the job. So yes, my mental state is fine. That's what Seymour brought up too; he was the one I was communicating with. Before any of you react, he didn't attack me or demand information about Riku. If anything, he was asking about the most minor things. Either he has some plot completely beyond our understanding, or he's trying to get me to lower my guard. As of now, the only thing I would worry about is a personal attack from him, he was asking too deeply about being a Medium."

"In other words, he might be trying to use you against Riku. He'll have to readjust his plans if he plans to do that since you can't kill Riku."

"I told him that"

"_Seymour, you don't seem to realize that a Medium isn't as powerful as you think they are, there are limitations to them"_

"_I know, the flow of emotions can become too much for you at times" _

"_But here's something that's not so commonly known, a Medium cannot kill as easily as another person could. You see, the shock of emotions could be too great. For a Medium to kill a person, the after affects can traumatize them. You must have heard stories, of murderers unable to sleep or rest after they take a person's life. For Mediums, the effect is more noticeable, especially if the person they killed was someone who trusted or cared for them." _

"_I did not know about this, interesting…"_

"_If anything, it's best if I don't do anything that could involve too many emotions. Sometimes I don't mind, if I went to a Blitzball game, the excitement and thrill is expected and I don't mind joining in. For other actions, such as killing someone or making love, pain could come as part of the package and I would prefer not having anything to do with it."_

Killing someone was exactly what Aerith Gainsborough was doing right now. A body slid to the floor, the person completely drained of their blood. Aerith licked her lips clean and swallowed, before she promptly turned and walked away from the scene. Aware of any possible witness, she hurried her footsteps, and disappeared from sight; appearing a few streets away among a large crowd who barely noticed her. She turned a corner into the quieter streets and paused when she saw a figure standing there, apparently waiting for her. Aerith titled her head slightly, prepared for any hostility, but when the figure looked up and met her eyes she knew she wasn't likely to be attacked; at least, not right away.

"Vincent Valentine, it has been a while. Tifa told me you didn't know of my existence, but from the day the Commander nearly caught me I knew I would be seeing you again."

"Aerith Gainsborough, I wish our reunion had been under better conditions."

"I would love to spend some time with you and catch up to what has been happening, but I have a feeling that you didn't come to me for that."

"Right as usual," Vincent reached under his cloak "Cloud has already been caught by us, and Yuffie's been imprisoned because she tried to help him. Aerith, I don't want to fight or hurt you, but I can't let you run and around free and be caught by the other vampires; even death would be better for you."

"You know as well as I do Jenova Vampires cannot die so easily" Aerith smiled "a bullet wound would just be a lot of unnecessary pain"

She jumped backwards into the air at Vincent's first shot. Then she turned and flew to a nearby store's window ledge, running across it to another's. Vincent gave chase, jumping onto the same ledge and running after her. They made a rather dramatic picture; a young woman in pink running and jumping over window ledges pursued by a man with a red cloak and gun. Of course, because he was firing said gun occasionally, the mortals at the streets were too busy screaming and trying to run or hide to stare. With this loud ruckus a vampire was probably going to arrive on the scene soon; though he was quite sure a majority of them were back at the skyscraper talking about the recently caught Undefined Vampire and the traitor werewolf Yuffie.

Aerith flew into a small clearing by the outskirts of Traverse Town. Landing, she turned around and threw her hand forward. A flash of green light escaped from her hand and flew towards Vincent, who had to jump out of the way to avoid a collision. Not giving him a chance to react, Aerith moved her hands again, and there was a sudden increase of wind around them. Dead leaves and grass flew in circles around them as Aerith conjured up a strong wind against Vincent, who flipped backwards to avoid the onslaught. Aerith moved her hands in another pattern, and the wind picked up some of the rocks and garbage littered around the area, which were then flung to Vincent's side.

Vincent moved quickly, dodging a majority of the objects. The ones that he couldn't dodge met a bullet and were knocked out of the way. Aerith continued the attack, her hands moving non-stop to keep the wind going. Every object that fell back on the floor were picked up and flung at Vincent again and again, and Vincent dodged or fired at them again and again. Lost technology was annoying in that they had invented guns with almost infinite amount of bullets. To make things worst for her, despite the obstacles Vincent was slowly getting closer.

Aerith didn't want to harm Vincent. She honestly didn't want to kill one of her former friends, but she couldn't afford to be caught by Riku's forces either. She had to help get Cloud out of their grasp, and being imprisoned as well wasn't going to work. Plus, she had things to do, such as capturing the Werewolf Head; _and_ she knew she had to end this battle before Vincent allow his demon to take over him. With that in mind, she switched her hand movements into a quicker and easier pattern.

The next time her hand flew forward to Vincent, a thunderbolt escaped from the skies and aimed for him. He had to jump back several steps to avoid it, then jump back a few more as even more thunderbolts rained down on him with every hand Aerith thrust forward. It only worked temporally; soon he was dodging the attacks and moving forward. Finally, the next thunderbolt to fall was too close to Aerith herself, and she fell back. Before she could react, the barrel of Vincent's gun pressed down on her forehead.

For a split second the two of them froze, almost unsure of this latest development. Aerith looked up to Vincent's red eyes and found she couldn't read them. She drew in a deep breath, Jenova Vampires couldn't die so easily, and she wondered how the body would fare against a bullet in the brain. Perhaps this was the end, and if it was she didn't mind that much. Dying by Vincent's hands was actually a quick and easy way; he would not give her pain willingly.

"You're lucky I ran out of bullets" Vincent suddenly said as he stared down at her "otherwise I would have killed you now."

Aerith stared at him in disbelief. What did he expect her to do now that he told her that? Then at that very moment, a figure sprang onto the scene. Aerith didn't know who he was but recognized him as one of Riku's vampires. She also knew him as one of the lazier, arrogant and really worthless vampires with a bloodthirsty streak who liked to torture his victims a little before taking their blood. If his victims were left alive, they tend to end up traumatized or in the asylum. Talk about 'why him of all people' arriving.

"Valentine! Oi, that vampire really _is_ a pretty one. Hey, we can have a little fun before we bring her to…" Without warning there was a series of _bangbangbang_ and Aerith's eyes widened as the vampire fell to the ground. She looked back up at Vincent, who had switched his gun's firing range from her forehead to the vampire.

"I never did like him anyways…" he muttered, voice as close to annoyed as it was possible for Vincent. Aerith opened her mouth, but Vincent suddenly grabbed her from the shoulder and jumped back just as the area sudden become littered with fresh bullets.

"You traitor!" The vampire appeared to not have died yet as he sprang to his feet, his own gun in hand. Ah right, Aerith recalled the vampire was also a SEED, they won't die so easily. Vincent moved swiftly, and in a flash of red he had knocked the vampire back down, and the barrel was now pressed on the vampire's forehead. Aerith's more cynical part gave a slight sneer, Vincent may not be of Jenova, but he also had alternations done to him and his speed was quicker then any normal vampire.

"Let me correct the traitor part," Vincent explained "I was never on your side from the start. In the end, if I could choose, I would have gone back to my former leader, _Cloud_." The other vampire's eyes widened "but I can't choose, and I can't follow Cloud at his current condition. I'm telling you this only because I know you would be silent about it, you've already seen and heard enough" Vincent pulled the trigger, and there was one last _bang_ before it was all over. Only ashes and a pair of fangs remained on the ground.

Aerith stepped forward as Vincent bent down and sifted through the ashes – he was going to have to get rid of that, ashes could be traced as the work of another vampire – and picked up his bullet. His clawed hand crushed it into tiny particles, destroying the evidence, and he turned to Aerith.

"Summon a wind to spread everything here around"

Aerith moved her hands again. There was a gush of strong wind that scattered the ashes and remaining bullets all over the place, some would also be taken further away. When the wind died down Vincent spoke again "I failed to catch you today, but remember what I have told you. Don't let me see you again if the circumstances are still the same, the next time, I won't be as soft or merciful"

Some distance away from the field at the skyscraper, Sora listened to the vampires around him discuss the Undefined Vampire. Sora had tried catching a glimpse of him, but he had completely missed it. Listening to the eager, triumphant conversations going around him was the only way he could pick up information about what the Undefined Vampire had looked like. He stopped paying attention about the vampire only when he heard the other latest news: SEED werewolf Yuffie Kisaragi was a traitor and currently imprisoned.

So much for learning more about her; he thought as he flopped back onto the bed, looks like everything was going to have to come out of Riku.

Speak of the devil, here he comes.

Riku raised an eyebrow at Sora's almost suggestive position "is there something you want, Sora?" He appeared to be in a good mood, Sora smiled and sat back up.

"What's happening outside, Riku?" _Might as well give him a chance first_

"A small victory for us"

"Against the Guado?"

"Against some trespassers" _Score, he didn't tell me about this before_, Sora tugged on Riku's sleeve, and the silver haired vampire sat down, continuing with "I didn't tell you about this before, but there's been a few trespassers in Traverse Town, and today we've caught one."

"What are you planning to do with him?" _You're in a really good mood today and I plan to use it to my advantage_

"Interrogate him about his colleagues and their purpose here. I don't plan to kill him yet; one of my more powerful vampires is actually asking me to spare him."

"You're not going to imprison that vampire like you did with Yuffie?" There was a pause

"Yuffie outright try to help the vampire, at least Vincent hasn't yet" Riku said stiffly. Sora looked at him, whoa, sensitive topic. Riku didn't appear to be in that great of a mood now and despite his odds the kinder part of Sora decided to distract him a bit and cheer him up.

"I'm hungry, can we please go out?" Riku blinked, a bit thrown at the sudden request, before letting out an amused laugh. Taking Sora by the hand, he led his Fledging out.

Just a floor beneath them, Zexion looked out his window at Traverse Town below. A city of endless nights and brilliant neon lights, truly a haven for the supernatural and some of the more night-loving humans. The humans filled the streets like ants, and he couldn't find the one he wanted. Demyx apparently still hasn't return to his home yet, he knew that because he had finally passed an order for his werewolves. They were to take turns watching the house until Demyx returns, and when he does, the werewolf was to report to Zexion immediately.

No progress still, and to make things worst for him, one of his werewolves chose _this_ time out of all times to play traitor. He never thought that spunky child had it in her. Well, now he was going to have to re-evaluate those that he had decided to turn into a werewolf. Despite her young appearance, Yuffie was actually one of his first werewolves, and for her to fail him meant he wasn't careful enough when he first started his clan. He had been too eager for followers at time, he thought, and didn't know his protégés well enough.

Digging into his memories, the time with Yuffie came easily into mind. The child had been wallowing in despair and self-loathing, for something that Zexion didn't know to this day; something about unintentionally forcing a friend to make a huge sacrifice or something. Alone and lost, Zexion had taken her shattered pieces and rebuilt her to his own designs, and it wasn't long before she consented to being turned into a werewolf. Though she acted careless and disrespectful, she was fiercely loyal to him, and he concluded it was because she didn't want to fail him as well. Once she turned to a werewolf, he stopped trying to find out everything about her history.

Well, it looks like her past, which he had allowed slide, was coming back to bite them both. He didn't say anything to Riku, but he was planning to keep an eye on one of his other werewolves, Cid. That man was one of Yuffie's friends, and he became a werewolf shortly after she did. He better decide not to turn traitor as well…

Someone knocked on his door, and he told them to come in. One of his werewolves opened the door and announced "The human has returned to his home."

At his home, Demyx – now dressed in normal clothing as opposed to the leather cloak – was cleaning his place up** (2)**. While he was doing so, the doorbell rang, and when he answered it Marluxia greeted him with smile "Good day, Demyx" Behind him, Larxene smirked. As they step inside Marluxia whispered "Your house has been stalked, but at the moment there are no current stalkers watching us. By the way, now that you're back in the Organization, we'll tell you straight out that the Vampire Lord here has your cousin as his newest Fledging."

"Is that so…" Demyx gestured for them to take a seat "and if I haven't returned, when were you planning to tell me?"

"Certainly not so soon" Larxene answered. "You got news about the next Organization meeting? Be prepared to be chewed out, you've missed a lot, and you let Riku obtain Sora."

"I'll look at the bright side"

"What's that?"

"At the meeting, Axel can't hide Roxas from me anymore. Then, I'll be allowed to catch up with everything. Speaking of Axel…" Demyx looked at both "you guys ready for his little plan?"

"As soon as our stalker returns" Larxene smirked "we'll flip the plan into action. Zexion will then be caught by the Jenova Vampire and they'll help us make him remember who he once was"

Not far away, a movie crew practiced a few shots of the prologue. The director grinned as the actors performed the scene above his expectations, "excellent work, guys, especially you Reno; you've really got the expressions of anger and shock down"

Standing by one of the tombstones was the most inexperienced actor of the group – Reno. The scene was currently being shot at the graveyard **(3)**, they were currently shooting the scene where Reno turned into an insane vampire and was going on a crazed blood hunt. An earlier scene, where Reno was supposed to go down a passage disguised as another tombstone and discover the experiments, was finished rather easily with his acting. Reno didn't find it too hard; he just had to remember what had happened years ago, and put those same expressions on. Little to no difficulty, to this day the wounds were still fresh in his mind.

"Alright, take a break now kids" The director said cheerfully. The actors and filming crew gave a relieved sigh and moved to a nearby tent they had set up. As refreshments and snacks were passed around, the director moved to where Reno was sitting, a safe distance from the others. "So…Reno, you're the twin of Axel?"

"I thought my appearance and recommendation letter would have proved that to you" Reno answered. The director fidgeted, glanced around them, and whispered.

"So…does that mean you're also…immortal?"

Reno knew where this was going already, and he frowned "Nothing is immortal, director. Yes, I am going to live just as long as he will, but I am different from him; I cannot give the so-called immortality so easily. The person who gave it to me is not the one who gave it to my brother." Ignoring the disappointed look on the man's face, Reno stood up and moved off to fill his cup once more.

Reno gave no indication he was aware of the other man among them. A stranger that Reno knew had been following him for these past few days. A human, therefore not a threat yet; still, he would have preferred to not have a shadow after him. Reno already had an idea of who could have sent this man, by now this wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

Meanwhile, back at Seventh Heaven, Namine watched as Loz entered the bar once more. He went to the counter, and Tifa greeted him with a smile. The two appeared to be very friendly as they started talking about casual, unimportant things. As the time passed, however, Tifa took control of the conversation and started steering it to Loz's brothers.

"Is Yazoo still against you coming here?"

"Yes, but he is no longer trying to stop me. His spends him time with other matters."

"That supposed informant? Zell?"

"One of Riku's vampires, and one of the more powerful too; he's a SEED, one of Riku's Special Forces. I don't understand why he does it, or why Kadaj allows it."

"Kadaj knows?"

"Kadaj has met Zell before, and acted charmingly like a friend. Zell perhaps already thinks Kadaj is a potential friend. Kadaj doesn't mind, and that almost worries me. You and I both know what Kadaj is like, given the chance; he'll be looking for a Fledging."

"No" Tifa's voice was cold

"He would, it's about time" Loz let out a dark chuckle "with Cloud's absence, the idea would only be highlighted."

"You're going to just let it happen? I don't know how this Zell would take it as I've never met him, but we all know it's possible to turn a normal vampire into a Jenova vampire. It might be a bit troublesome, but it's possible."

"Why not? As long as Zell's not too much trouble, I'm not going to oppose my brothers in their choice of Fledglings. Besides, to them, being a vampire isn't so bad. A longer life, the chance of preserving youth forever, and of course the abilities that could come."

"Do you see it like that, Loz?" Tifa looked at Loz intently, and continued "are you not at all influenced by the drawbacks of being a vampire?"

"You mean the things sister complains about?" Loz stared back at Tifa "You perhaps agree with her, like the rest of your friends before they also abandoned their humanity. Look, Tifa, at least you live now, those that were too proud of their humanity are now all dead. Meaning they can't do anything against us anymore, at least if you wanted to, you can try attacking me now. You're alive now, that's all that matters. Cloud gave you this second chance of life, appreciate it."

Tifa stared at him almost in disbelief, her next words however were even more disbelieving "If I was to die in front of you now, Loz…will you bite me and turn me into a vampire as well?"

There was a stunned silence as the two of them stared at each other. Then Loz answered "No"

Tifa looked surprised "no?"

"I know I care too much for your feelings and sense of morality, you are too influenced by sister. Even if there was a war and you know you have to be stronger, I won't turn you. Because after a while, I know how you'll turn out; regretful, and perhaps angry that I turned you into a blood-sucking creature of the night"

**(1) Chapter Six _Supposedly Honest Answers_ where Saix claimed the Guado would regret attacking them because he sent in the YRP group  
(2) ****Chapter Seven _Returning to Previous Problems_ when Axel came to Demyx and broke a window and vase  
(3) ****Same graveyard that Cloud and Zell fought in**

**Well I've taken a combo of the manga and anime for this chapter's promotion. Trinity Blood's novels, anime, and manga all follow a different plotline, believe it or not. I used the anime and manga, scene was when Vincent and Aerith had their little fight only for Vincent to say he ran out of ammunition, then turn around a few seconds later to kill off an 'enemy'. **

**Chapter Thirteen Promotion Anime: Trinity Blood**


	14. For the Greater or Personal Good

**Ugh, school is back. My two World Literature Papers are in trouble, my last art project was sloppy, I am not getting along with my Law partner, and I think my French Teacher hates me for my lack of comprehension…**

**Previously: Imprisoned by Leon, Cloud screams at him that Aerith still cares for him, but promises no further information. Demyx announces to Lexaeus that Orion and has forces has been dealt with, and learns from Saix there is going to be an Organization meeting soon. Tidus reveals to Seymour that a Medium cannot kill a person so easily. Vincent has a short duel with Aerith, but ends up letting her go. Riku tells Sora about the trespassers, while below him Zexion decides to keep an eye on Cid. Demyx reunites with Marluxia and Larxene and the three prepare for Axel's plan to capture Zexion for the Jenova Vampires. Reno begins his acting career, and notices a man following him. Finally, Loz and Tifa discuss being a vampire, and Loz tells her that even if Tifa was to die, he wouldn't turn her because he cares for her too much. **

**By the way, this chapter has _Wuthering Heights_ written all over the first scene, I had to read it last year for school and now I have to study it for my IB Oral Examination. It's one of the most unique books I've ever read, but it can sure be tedious…**

"_If I was in heaven, Zack, I should be extremely miserable."_

_Those lavender eyes stared back at him almost sadly before the mouth replied "Because you are not fit to go there," Zack answered. "All sinners would be miserable in heaven."_

"_But it is not for that. I dreamt once that I was there."_

"_Cloud, dreams should not be relied on too much…" There was something strange in the tone of his voice_

"_I know, but recently the last one I had seem almost fitting for my current situation. In my dream, Heaven did not seem to be my home; and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of the Northern Crater; where I woke sobbing for joy. That will do to explain my current troubles, as well as the other. I've no more business to love a human than I have to be in heaven; and if Jenova genes do not run in me, I shouldn't have thought of it. It would ruin me to love the human over Sephiroth; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because Sephiroth's more handsome, Zack, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and the human's is as different as moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire."_

"_The human again? Cloud, to be attached to one of them is not a good idea. The gradual suspicions as they age and realize you do not, and then the pain when they have to die…it will only destroy you. Cloud, leave the humans alone, forget them, and return to Sephiroth. Do you think he would take your separation lightly? For you to desert him for a mere mortal…"_

"_He quite deserted! We separated!' Cloud exclaimed, with an accent of indignation. "Who is to separate us, pray? They'll meet the wrath of Jenova! Not as long as I live, Zack: for no mortal creature. Every human on the face of the earth might melt into nothing before I could consent to forsake Sephiroth. Oh, that's not what I intend - that's not what I mean! I shouldn't try to recover my humanity were such a price demanded! Zack, the human is nothing, nothing compared to Sephiroth!"_

"_I am glad you understand this"_

"_Of course I do! My great miseries in this world have been Sephiroth's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning. My great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be. And if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger---I should not seem a part of it. My love for the human is like the foliage in the woods; time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Sephiroth resembles the eternal rocks beneath---a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Zack, I am Sephiroth! He's always, always in my mind. Not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being. So don't talk of our separation again: it is impracticable…"_

"_Then you know what you have to do, leave the human Cloud. I don't trust him either, he may treat you well now, but I can see he is one of those power hungry types. He's another Rufus, except not as smart or refined."_

"_So I should just…leave him? That seems rather cold…" _

"_Then tell him a few lies if you have to, that he is not stable enough with his little temper, that he is not important enough…"_

"_What?"_

"_Well, perhaps not that; the main point is that you should leave him perhaps with some words to have him stay away from you. Him hating you on a personal level would be better then him finding out you are a vampire and _then_ hating you" _

Cloud had taken Zack's advice, and left the human with a few scathing words. After all, in the end, despite the flaws Sephiroth possessed, Cloud loved him more then anyone else in the world. He didn't know where this obsession came from, why he felt like this to his superior, it was just a fact. In comparison, Cloud wasn't even really in a relationship with the human anyways; the two of them never started anything. Yet Cloud had the feeling perhaps that by leaving the human he had done something he was going to regret for the rest of his life. Then again, he always knew that the 'second Rufus', as Zack had termed the human, was power hungry and would use almost every means to get power. With Cloud's words, the human would probably turn more ruthless in his pursuit.

Cloud could only hope he would never see the human again, all personal feelings aside, Seifer was not a person who forgave and forget. By now he should be dead, but as Cloud stared up through his glass coffin – a _cage_, that was what it was – to the darkness outside, he could not help thinking Seifer would be the type to also pursuit immortality.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Zexion moved quickly, unnaturally eager. Oh, one wouldn't guess it, his face remained as blank as ever, but there was the strange gleam in his eyes again. Considering his powers and experience, he arrived to Demyx's home quite easily. His eagerness faded quickly when he saw that Marluxia and Larxene had beaten him. The three appeared to be about to leave the house. Demyx didn't look depressed or sad over Sora's absence, either he recovered at a remarkable rate or his two friends knew how to cheer him up quite well.

Slower in his movements now, Zexion watched as the trio went to a nearby mall. It seems as if they were looking for a birthday gift from someone, and the three went to a jewelry store.

"Necklace? Ring?"

"I'll say a ring"

"Demyx, you only say a ring because of your own personal preferences"

"As if you're to blame me, are you two not wearing the same ring?"

Zexion's focus shifted to the rings on their fingers as the trio exchanged looks and laughter. The rings did not appear to be too expensive or fancy. It was soon explained as he heard Marluxia speak "This ring is but a mere replica of the real thing, isn't it? It's not the most famous jewelry around but the real Lamenting Rutile has been missing for years."

"I would love to see the real thing" Demyx grinned "wait, I'll love to _own_ the real thing"

"The chances of you finding the real thing is slim to none, Demyx" another voice added. The trio looked up at the approaching redhead, confident smirk in place. Demyx couldn't help the narrowing of his eyes, obviously showing dislike.

"Axel"

"I happen to have one too" The redhead held his hand out. The same ring, attached to a chain, slid out gracefully and dangled in front of Demyx's eyes. Despite the soft surrounding light, the ring seemed to gleam and shimmer as if on display.

"Wow, it looks as if the ring really is popular" Marluxia replied, staring "Even Axel Fujiwara has one. I'm glad I got mine"

"Marluxia, you give in to popular stuff too easily…" Larxene complained. Demyx said nothing as he stared at the ring, as if entranced. Axel's smirk seem to grow at Demyx's stunned gaze, and Zexion soon realized why as he, too, stared at the ring.

That ring was not made of plastic, it was real silver; the _real_ Lamenting Rutile.

At Sunset Street, the van carrying the fugitives of Guadosalam arrived. Rather then stop right in front of the mansion, the van stopped at the street, so the group knew they had to walk a bit before arriving home. Because of that, as they took their luggage and watched the van set off, they saw the suspicious activities going on.

"Is it just me, or are there a lot of moving vans?" Rikku asked.

Indeed, the streets seemed to be full of moving trucks. A majority of the people who lived on the streets appeared to be moving, but that wasn't the most suspicious thing happening. Standing by most of the doors was several Guado. Wakka frowned, he beckoned the group to hide behind some of the trees and they listened in a nearby house's conversation between the house occupants and the Guado.

"We have already said no before, why did you suddenly approach us with such a proposal anyways?" A young man with silver hair and green eyes was saying. Wakka recognized him as the youngest one of the Stigma brothers who owns the most popular weaponry shop in town - Kadaj, that was the name. Although he was smiling, there was something deadly in those eyes, something that said he was losing patience with his unwelcome 'guests', three large and armed Guado.

"We are simply interested in this property and wish to purchase it legally and smoothly with you" A Guado answered. "We've already given you the amount we'll pay, if you wish for more, we can sit down and negotiate this."

"We don't want negotiations or your money, we want our home" Kadaj countered. "My family happen to be living here quite happily, and we do not plan on moving anytime soon."

"Look, child…"

"I happen to be over the age of majority, thank you very much"

"We're asking you nicely now to sell your home for a price you won't find elsewhere. Why are you so resistant, when the amount we offer you exceeds the value…?"

"I want to stay here; you think your money or intimidation tactics work for me? Not a chance, Guado, go fight your war with the Ronso!" Unlike the vampires, the Guado and Ronso race were known publicly to the humans. Although there was a barrier between them when it came to political or social matters, the humans knew that the Guado and Ronso were currently at war with each other. So it really wasn't a surprise that the human knew about it, what was surprising was that he dare bring it up in a situation like this.

"Foolish brat!" The Guado responded, and reached for his weapons. Yuna's eyes widened and she stepped out of her hiding place.

"Stop!" She shouted, and the Guado momentarily paused as they saw a human – the YRP had morphed into their human forms in the van – step forward. The rest of her friends blinked, they could've sworn they say Kadaj's pupils turn into slits, like a cat's, but at Yuna's interference it quickly switched back to normal. Yuna didn't appear to have noticed "what's going on here? Can't we discuss things civilly here?"

"Miss," Kadaj said, as polite as he could "don't tell me the Guado didn't come to your place. These last few days the Guado have been asking the neighbourhood whether they would sell their homes to them. A majority of the people have already agreed due to the high sums of money the Guado are offering, you must have seen the moving trucks."

Yuna didn't bring up the fact that she had been away and missed everything, after all, that might incriminate her as being one of the fairies who caused enough damage to the Guado military. Instead she changed the subject "asking every house here?"

"All those in Sunset Street" Kadaj confirmed, staring at the Guado with dislike "those that didn't agree right away on the money agreed when they started bringing weapons around. This whole thing started when the Guado moved in one of the houses here a few days ago. Now they think they can go around, buying out this street. If you ask me, they probably did this for their war. Probably their failure with the Ronso is forcing them to turn on us instead…"

"You…!" One of the Guado who had been standing behind the first speaker finally spoke up and brought out a staff. He swung it down in a fatal arc, but before any one of them could react, another staff-like weapon came out and blocked the danger – a Naginata.

For a split second the Guado and Medium stared at each other, one in surprise, and the other in cold fury. Tidus pushed the Guado's weapon back and spoke, his voice casual but his eyes were flaming "Using force so easily in Riku's territory, what are you all thinking? Put your arms away, for whatever odds _you_ may have with the people here does not ride over our Masters' orders, Baneus"

"How did you…?" The Guado, Baneus, began, but the first Guado placed a hand on his shoulder, silencing him. The Guado then turned to Tidus.

"The Medium Tidus Fayth himself, my apologies for my subordinates' behavior. I don't know how you knew his name, and perhaps you already know mine, but let's formally introduce ourselves now shouldn't we?" He didn't wait for an answer, nor did he seem to care he was speaking in front of a human at the moment "My name is Sarbir, the superior among this trio; it is an honour to meet you"

Several streets away, another figure slid down to the ground, and Sora wiped the fresh blood off his lips. The victim was still alive; he had only been temporally knocked out and Sora was careful in restraining himself from draining the human dry. He sighed happily, and returned to Riku's side. The blood high was not out of control yet, but Sora knew the effects were already showing. That was confirmed when he wrapped his arms around Riku's waist and snuggled the taller boy "Riku…"

"Still hungry?" Riku smiled, problems temporally forgotten. He couldn't help it, all powers aside his fledging was adorable, and Riku was unmistakably drawn to the other boy. Sora nodded eagerly, sky blue eyes looking up at Riku hopefully. Riku led Sora away from the unconscious lust-driven teenager, and nearly ran right into someone.

"Excuse me" Riku murmured as he walked past the other person, taking Sora along with him. Loz watched as the Vampire Lord and his fledging walked away, and frowned. He could identify the Vampire Lord without problem, but the fledging was a different matter altogether. His Jenova genes reacted in him, warning him of a possible threat or powerful ally. The boy also looked startlingly familiar, and as Loz searched his mind for a possible reason, he came upon it. Loz's eyes widened, and then narrowed.

Shit, they were in trouble.

At the other side of town, Zexion sat in the library in the Arts section, looking up jewelry. The Lamenting Rutile, to be specific, but he couldn't find any information at all. It was as if the ring never existed. He had gone on the library computers as well, and found nothing. Dismayed, he now stared blankly at the book in his hand, wondering.

"May I read that book after you're done?" A voice asked, Zexion looked up, but the words died in his throat. A boy who looked strikingly similar to Riku's new fledging stood there, looking at him patiently. It definitely wasn't Sora, for the boy held himself in a rather confident manner, and the clothes spoke of a different personality. Zexion covered up his surprise and handed the book to the boy, but spoke once the boy made a move to turn away.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you know anything about a ring called the Lamenting Rutile?"

The boy stopped in his steps, to increase Zexion's surprise the boy's eyes darkened and his hands clenched tighter on the book. "What about the Lamenting Rutile?"

"I was trying to find information about it…."

"Ask Axel Fujiwara of Dusk Corp" The boy interrupted "He is the Head of the Marketing Department, and he'll know" The boy turned and walked off. Zexion watched him go, looks like he met someone who was at odds with this Axel…

Wait, didn't Demyx address that redhead earlier as Axel? Demyx didn't seem to like him either…

Zexion went back on the computers, wondering whether this was his opportunity to meet Demyx. First, he'll have to do research on this Axel person…he was sure he heard that name somewhere before…

At Oblivion, the redhead Zexion was thinking about lay spread-eagled on the sofa, arms and feet draping off. The sound of keys and the front door opening didn't get him to change his position. Reno closed the door smoothly behind him and looked at his brother "Yo, Axel."

"How's the movie coming?"

"Pretty good, my scenes were done rather smoothly, but you were right, I don't like the director. He's less annoying then you made him to be, though. By the way, we'll soon be getting some company; again."

"Judging by that tone, you don't like this company either. Want me to deal with him?"

"Not so soon, I'm letting him trail me for a few days again. Then he's all yours, please be more careful of disposing the body this time."

"Oh come on, you're still sick about that time?"

"Axel, the man's _intestines_ were hanging out of his body. I think I'm allowed to be sick, I'm human"

"And I'm not?"

"That's not what I am implying and you know it" There was a pause, and Reno released a breath "Look, my apologies okay? I didn't mean it" When Axel didn't say anything, Reno sighed "listen, brother…"

"No, it's fine. After all, neither of us knows exactly how different the other is" Axel glanced at the time "I'm going out, I have an appointment with some people"

"Business or Entertainment?"

"A little bit of both."

"Human?"

"Werewolf" Ignoring Reno's startled look, Axel got off the sofa and swept past him out the door.

It wasn't long before he was sitting inside a large van at the outskirts of town, staring at the sky. The van was Dusk Corp's, meant for traveling with a large number of people. As a result, the place was spacious and specifically designed to relax the mind. All doors, except the one at the very back, were locked. The television was on, but Axel wasn't watching it. He was staring out the window at the forests, waiting. In the outskirts of town, less people will notice what will happen.

He heard knocking behind him, but he ignored it, acting as if the television noise was drowning it out. The knocking grew more persistent, before the person realized it wasn't going to work. Axel heard the rear door open and someone stepped in. "Excuse me, but are you Axel Fujiwara of Dusk Corp?"

"I am" Axel replied without turning around "and let me guess, you're here to talk about the Lamenting Rutile?"

Zexion blinked, startled. Axel continued "you would definitely be able to tell a fake from the real thing. The Zexion I knew always could, and any werewolf would know if the silver is genuine or not, especially Werewolf Heads, Zexion!" Axel turned around to face the other young man, and Zexion's eyes narrowed. How did this human know…this person definitely was no normal human.

"I don't wish to fight you" Zexion said "name your price, and I will take the real Lamenting Rutile in exchange" Axel's eyes glittered dangerously.

"Don't wish to fight me? I've been waiting for this very moment!" Axel slammed on a triangular device on the wall, and without warning several bars slammed down around the car, locking Zexion in. Axel had obviously pre-programmed the van, for suddenly the van turned itself on and started driving – even without a driver. Zexion appeared unfazed.

"You didn't think you'll catch me so easily, did you?" Zexion asked.

"Of course not" Axel answered. He held out his hand, and it immediately became the nest for a small flame of fire. A small flame that grew bigger and spread, slipping past the bars and forming a ring of fire which wrapped viciously around Zexion. The werewolf finally fought back, he swung his arm down and the fire dissipated, leaving a dark mark on Zexion's hand.

"This doesn't hurt at all"

"Say whatever you want, how about this then?"

The flame in Axel's hand grew stronger and more vicious as it launched itself onto Zexion. Zexion's calmness dropped when the flames surrounded him. They burned and he felt them scorch his skin, and yet somehow, he wasn't feeling the pain. Of course, normal fires would not hurt Zexion, Axel should have used his real fire techniques and reduce himself to these casual…wait, how did he know that Axel had even more advanced techniques? Zexion opened his eyes and tried to peer at Axel, somehow, Zexion knew Axel wasn't really trying to kill him.

Still, spending too much time on fire was not good. Zexion threw his hands back and did another swipe. The fire _whoosh_ backwards, consuming the car and Axel; who did not appear to be prepared for such a counterattack. At the sudden burst of fire, the van screeched and lost control; it slipped, twisted, and fell to its side, where it slid for several metres before stopping. By the time it did so, Zexion burst out from a broken window and flew backwards to the skies, followed shortly by Axel, who was now dressed in his leather cloak and holding his chakrams in his hands.

"It's been a while since we last met, Zexion" Axel called out, almost mockingly.

"Don't give me such pleasantries after what you just pulled" Zexion hissed as he decided he should retreat.

"As if I'll let you escape that easily!" Axel yelled as he threw his chakrams forward. Once again, flames erupted in the air around them. Zexion let out a growl and dodged them all.

"I don't even _want_ to see that face of yours" He moved at a speed incapable of humans, but without warning Axel was in front of him again.

"We haven't seen each other for such a long time, yet you still give me such a cold attitude?" Axel taunted.

"Don't come too close, whatever you are!" Those speeds couldn't be a human, and Zexion knew it. This Axel was at least a slayer or one of the supernatural himself. Was he another Undefined Vampire? Zexion dodged another wave of fire and realized he was only playing on defense. At this rate, he wouldn't have a chance at all. He jumped backwards and turned to his opponent "Axel!"

The redhead responded with a stronger wave of flames and both chakrams being flung towards him. Zexion swept his hands again and created a temporally shield, which blocked the attacks. Once the wave past, the shield dissolved and Zexion struck back at Axel. The two of them exchanged blows, all the while moving in mid air. A strange thought suddenly entered Zexion's mind.

_Axel was almost like my protégé, he was as good at manipulating as I was; but he wasn't like me. He was just another nobody…_

Something about the word 'nobody' struck a chord within him, but he didn't know why; or didn't _remember_ why. "Why do you seek to imprison me, are you a nobody trying to become a somebody? This is not the best way for you" To Zexion's surprise, Axel's eyes darkened at those words.

"I am who I am, already a 'somebody', and there can only be one of us." He answered, but seemed more like he was trying to convince himself. In Axel's mind, Reno's image flashed briefly, calling him 'little brother', and Axel gritted his teeth. "That's right! There is only one of me!** (1)**" Flames erupted around them once more. This time, they were much stronger and intense, and they caught Zexion when he was unprepared. The flames morphed into ropes that wove themselves around Zexion's body, wrapping him, burning him, suffocating him. Zexion choked at the heat, and finally fell. His body sagged and turned limp.

Axel, only breathing heavily, slowly returned to the ground. He reached for his cell phone and dialed, the other side picked up quickly.

"Hello?"

"Aerith, I've caught the Werewolf Head for you"

Further away from Traverse Town, Guadosalam was wrought with chaos and anger as news got out that Lord Orion's forces have practically been eliminated in a short time. Although there was no information on who could have done it, rumors were already flying. Already the Ronso were suspected of hiring mercenaries to do the job. All hotels had been searched for evidence.

Martin sighed as he closed the door of his temporally home, which was actually his mother's. The Guado soldiers were searching all the hotels and the people there, it might be best for him to stay away from it all. So he was going to stay at his mother's house for a few days. He turned and was about to check if his mother was here or not when someone knocked on the door; he opened it and saw his fiancée there. "Kairi?"

The pretty lady stepped forward and hugged him, sobbing quietly. Martin wrapped his arms around her, groping a feel while he was at it "what's wrong?"

"The village….oh Martin, my village was completely slaughtered!" She pulled back and stared at him tearfully "The Guado soldiers came to the Gazet River Village after Lord Orion's base blew up. I stepped away just in time, but…but…Martin, the entire village is slaughtered! The Ronso, the people I had grown up with, they're all dead! Killed!"

"Kairi…" Martin soothed the young woman gently, but mentally he rolled his eyes. "You must have known something like this would happen sooner or later. The Ronso are at war with Guado, perhaps you were sheltered, living among them so long, but this is what happens in a war. The Ronso should have flee long ago, living so close to Guadosalam was a danger…"

"They weren't even fighting! They weren't even hostile!"

"They could be if they wanted to, they are a threat to the Guado and would have been killed any second. You should have known that…"

"Why is _she_ here?" A harsh voice interrupted. Martin and Kairi turned, and saw Martin's mother standing there, glaring hatefully at Kairi. Martin's mother had never liked Kairi, because some time ago Kairi encouraged Martin to follow his career dreams, and he did so, abandoning the careers his mother had wanted him to pursuit. For that, Martin's mother loathed Kairi, despite her attempts to satisfy her future mother-in-law.

"Mother, please, Kairi…"

"Is almost a child of the Ronso and should not be here in Guadosalam" the mother snapped. "She will be a burden for us if she stays, make her go away"

"Mother, she's my fiancée and you know that"

"You'll get bored of her soon" Neither women knew how right she was, but Martin hid it. Instead, he shook his head and turned to Kairi.

"You should sit down; you need some rest, maybe even some food." He led her away, ignoring his mother's scowls. Mentally inside, he swore, wondering why things were suddenly no longer in his favour **(2)**.

Back at Traverse Town, Sora curled up on the bed as Riku tucked him in. Riku smiled softly at his fledging before he left, meeting Leon in the hallways. The Commander bowed before speaking "Lord Riku, Tidus and his friends have returned. They are currently at their home, resting."

"They came back rather quickly" Riku frowned, "too quickly"

"According to what Tidus told me, they ran into a lot of trouble in Guadosalam. Luckily, they should be safe, and it appears as if the Guado do not know they were involved. Actually, Tidus says there might be suspicions, but he wants to talk to you about that personally."

"Is it urgent?"

"He does not believe so"

"Then I'll give him some rest time first. Meanwhile, how is the Undefined Vampire doing?"

"Aside from yelling at me when he first woke up, he's been silent"

"What do you think of them, Leon?" There was a pause, and Leon answered.

"They are physically more human then we are, or at least this vampire is. I actually felt…warmth, when I touched Undefined Vampire Number Three. He has a heartbeat, and the blood inside him is actually working like that of a human's. Somehow, his fangs can morph into that of human teeth, which certainly is useful in covering his identity. However, he's also less human then we are, there's something wrong with him in that he seems too…non-human. Someone of his built, for example, should not be able to wield as heavy a sword as the one he summoned to fight us; made of blood or not. Even a normal vampire shouldn't be able to do that without excessive training, yet when I touched him his hands were smooth, not at all roughened like a swordsman's hands. Speaking of that, he is in whole too soft for battle, but we all saw his fighting ability."

"You address him only as 'Undefined Vampire Number Three' or 'him'?" Riku shook his head "Even Auron addresses him by name now, and so does Yuffie" Leon said nothing, in front of Riku he addressed Cloud as nothing but Number Three but inside he was already addressing Cloud with his name. After all, Auron and Yuffie weren't the only ones calling Cloud by name, Vincent did too. Riku stretched and said "I was planning to check up on you and Selphie, but I'm tired enough now. Leon, you should rest as well, don't stress yourself too much"

"I thank you for your concern"

"If I forgot, remind me when I wake to visit Tidus" Riku turned and returned to his room. Unbeknownst to them, Sora scrambled back to his bed from his earlier position at the door. Riku didn't know it, but the blood high was starting to fade off quicker already, and Sora was actually pretending so that he could listen to any useful information.

So Riku's going to leave again tomorrow. Maybe now, it was about time he tried a taste of the outside world once more…

**(1) This sentence isn't showing hostility to Reno. It's meant to be confusing, but what Axel really meant will be explained later in the story  
(2) ****Martin's a real bastard, but he'll soon get it, bear with me. He's going to be needed for exactly _what_ Kairi is**

**Yes indeed, what's going to happen as soon as Sora steps out of the skyscraper he's been locked in? Nothing good, I tell you; especially with Lox's thoughts in this chapter when Riku nearly ran into him. And now, I've mentioned Seifer, as one of my reviewers asked. I don't really like this chapter as I believe it's a bit rushed, but if I don't update soon I'll feel lazy. Plus, I need some outlet to cry upon: I got my IB Predicted Grades and I DID TERRIBLE!!! I feel like crying, so many classmates of mine actually cried outloud during class. Writing is a way to let me temporally forget. That, and I'll be starting a major project soon and most likely can't update for several weeks. **

**I was having difficulty trying to combine an anime into this chapter, but while I was doing my homework my computer started playing DN Angel's background music and I thought 'hey maybe I should try this'. Yes, I usually do my homework with music; I select them all and play them. I get so used to the 'noise' its no longer distracting. Most of you might recognize the promotion: The Lamenting Rutile was one obvious clue and so was the scene with Zexion and Axel. I've taken artistic license and changed it somewhat to fit the story (as well as remove the subtle yaoi hints as Axel's with Roxas and Zexion's with Demyx), but I've tried to remain as faithful as I could. **

**Chapter Fourteen Promotion Anime: DN Angel **


	15. Chase of High Speeds

**A very wise man once told me "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute; THAT'S relativity". Upon looking that quote up, the person who first said it was Albert Einstein.**

**Previously: A flashback in Cloud's mind reveals that some time ago, he was close to getting involved with the human Seifer before leaving. Zexion learns that Demyx desires a ring named the 'Lamenting Rutile', and goes to buy the original from Axel. It turns out to be a trap, as the ring and Demyx were the bait for Axel to finally capture the Werewolf Head for Aerith. Tidus, Wakka, and the YRP return home, only to learn that the Guado have apparently been buying Sunset Street out. Reno tells Axel that he has another stalker and Axel is apparently the one who had dealt with all the ones before. Kairi goes to her fiancé Martin's place, and Martin's mother shows her dislike towards her. Riku and Leon discuss their prisoner, and unbeknownst to them Sora makes plans to try leaving the skyscraper. **

Hayner Kazunori loved speed. He loved water skiing at impossible speeds and pulling dangerous stunts such as skydiving. He adored feeling the wind on his face and the aftereffects after traveling at high speeds in which his brain still believed he was moving. His hobbies include racing at top speed in some of the indoor car racing parks. Though he appeared too carefree to be responsible, an active spirit and a desire for a uniformed job soon gave Hayner the career of a Highway Patrol motorcycle officer.

Sure, there were limits on how fast he can drive or how he could use the motorcycle, and you always get those people yelling at you for giving them tickets, there were also those teenagers who thought it was cool to insult you, but by now Hayner didn't care. He took the job up because it allowed him to ride a motorcycle for hours, and anyways, without the uniform when his hours were over, he could give those teenagers as good as he got.

As a relatively newcomer to the force, he had a mentor of sorts assigned to him for two weeks, and today was already the last day. Henry Woodson was probably not the best choice for someone like Hayner. The middle aged man was one huge softie who had seen too many buddy cop movies in his lifetime. As a result, he tends to sugarcoat everything and give Hayner too many exceptions 'because you're still a kid'. A family man with a young son and daughter, Henry tends to give Hayner a big smile everyday and talk of how cops ought to be all friendly and nice. Hayner, who was a streetwise teenager just a few years ago, tend to believe cops ought to be given more authority when dealing with suspects or they'll be disrespected and made even _more_ fun of.

Now, he helped the other highway officers pack up after their road block was finished for the day. Only a few cars had been speeding, and so far the civilians didn't try to resist the ticket too much. Henry, who had finished his part and was leaning on his motorcycle, looked at his watch and said, "Well kid, it's about noon. Want to stop by for coffee?"

"Why not?" Hayner moved towards his own motorcycle. Before he could mount, however, the sound of a speeding car reached his ears. He looked up, and sure enough he saw a sleek sports car cutting between lines and going over a hundred miles per hour. The car was quickly approaching them, and it wasn't stopping. Henry sighed "I'll go deal with this one first, alright, kid?" He stepped forward and raised a hand.

It took less then a few seconds for all the officers present to know that the car wasn't stopping. Henry's eyes widened in shock, and he jumped away just in time as the car zoomed past them and continued going. Had Henry been slower, the car would have run over him. Hayner and a few other officers rushed to Henry's side "Sir? Are you okay?"

"That car tried to run me over! The driver definitely doesn't care if we're here or not!" Henry yelled, surprise on his face. Hayner's eyes narrowed, and without warning he spun around and got onto his motorcycle.

"Kazunori!" The chief yelled, but Hayner ignored it. The speed needle on his motorcycle spun to dangerous areas as Hayner began his pursuit of the car, sirens ringing. The black sports car didn't stop, continuing to go at dangerous speeds. Hayner could see now that there were two people inside the car, both of them were males with dark hair, and both of them appear to be unconcerned that they were speeding.

The person sitting on the front seat glanced at the rearview mirror and spoke to the driver "we've got company. I told you not to try speeding here"

The driver just gave a smirk "humans," he pressed the gas down harder. The car sped up, and cut in front of a truck, before cutting back in front of another car on the previous line. The pursuing officer disappeared from sight, and the driver gave a chuckle. To his surprise, in less then a few seconds, he heard the sirens close by again, and Hayner reappeared in the mirror view. The driver rushed a red light and made several turns, but he could not shake the officer off. Normally in the face of such persistence, the driver would scowl and give up, but not today. The driver instead smirked, and drove even faster.

When the car disappeared from sight again, Hayner cursed and looked around. As soon as it was safe to, he turned into an alley. The motorcycle rolled quickly along the floor before flying over a set of stairs. Hayner spun into another turn and cut through several streets and alleys. In one stunt, he rode the motorcycle off a suspended road and flew over a car. His old street racing instincts kicked back in, and though he always made sure no one was too close, the moves he pulled would have made a stuntman proud. He flew over another set of stairs, and rode into the centre of a street just as the same black sports car came in. This time, the driver had to turn out of the way, and his car nearly crashed into a street lamp nearby.

Knowing that he had won this round, Hayner turned up the mike and spoke "Would the occupants of the car with license plate CBA923 step out immediately" Just in case, one of Hayner's hands went to his side, where his firearm was. His body tensed as the driver door opened.

A tall man with long dark hair streaked with a lighter gray stepped out. He wore an eye patch on one side of his face, and was dressed wholly in black. The man emitted confidence and arrogance at the same time, and there was a large sneer on his face. From the other front door, another man stepped out. He also had long dark hair, but he was missing an eye patch. Like the driver, he was dressed in black, but unlike the driver there was no sneer on his face; if anything he was rather calm and blank. Hayner got off his motorcycle and approached the two men, and the driver gave him the sneer.

"You really know how to use the motorcycle, officer; I applaud you"

"Driver's license" Hayner snapped, deciding the man didn't deserve any courtesy after nearly killing his TO. The man raised an eyebrow as he handed the card over.

"You're rather young, officer, no wonder you insisted on the chase. Ever tried racing before?" Hayner ignored the question, opting instead to follow protocol.

"Why didn't you stop earlier?"

"My apologies officer, I was in a rush to go to a meeting."

"Just because you're one of the top dogs in Dusk Corp gives you no right to ignore traffic laws" One glance at the name on the driver's license had told Hayner who he was dealing with: Xigbar Sethoro **(1)**, Head of the Strategic Management Department in Twilight Town's Dusk Corp branch. Hayner then noticed the smell "been drinking? No wonder you drove so recklessly"

"Me? Drink and drive? Of course not, officer, I'm a normal and good citizen. However, now that you mention it…" Xigbar reached into his jacket and pulled a small bottle filled with what was undoubtedly an alcoholic drink. Before Hayner could stop him, the older man unscrewed the cap and tipped the bottle to his lips. Quickly, Hayner knocked it away.

"What are you doing!?" The blond demanded. The driver's friend, who Hayner now recognize as Xaldin Hirwdlwin **(2)**, let out a snicker. Xigbar smiled almost innocently, but with his face, it was not at all convincing.

"Why, drinking, it there any problem with that? I'm not driving now, am I, officer?"

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Cid"

At the sound of the voice, Cid turned around and saw Vincent behind one of Traverse Town's buildings. Catching on the secretive behavior, Cid first glanced around to see if anyone was watching him, before approaching the demon-bearing vampire.

"What is it?"

Vincent took another glance around, while Cid sniffed the air for any nearby scent. When they were sure they were safe, Vincent told Cid about his encounter with Aerith. The werewolf was silent the whole time, and spoke only when Vincent finished "So Aerith now knows we got Cloud, that means there's a chance Sephiroth will soon find out. Shit, when that happens, we'll be seeing increased activity on the Jenova Vampires' side. There's a chance that Riku's forces will soon catch more of them, or suffer more losses."

"In your opinion, which prospect is the lesser of two evils?"

"Catching more of them, but if that happens I'll be putting my life or at least freedom on the line. While I won't reveal my colours as easily as Yuffie did, I still might let something slip."

"Yuffie always believed it was best that Riku's forces do not know too much of the Jenova Vampires"

"Ya think I don't remember that? I know, she's still clinging onto the past, times like this I wish she never chose the fate of becoming a werewolf and having to follow a new master. Especially the one here, as she has to constantly fear the Medium seeing her memories."

At said Medium's home, Wakka walked into the living room to see the others lounging about. He glanced at the fairies before turning to Tidus "Still troubled about the Guado?"

"Yea" Tidus frowned and ran his fingers over the armrest he was leaning against. "Riku wouldn't be happy when he finds out, and it's another tactic from Seymour. Technically, he's lawfully buying the houses here, but it's obvious he plans to make it a base or something. He's got us; again, we can't really do much against him. If Riku does argue with him about it, Seymour would win the argument. In other words, I might be getting another angry Riku episode, and believe me when I say he's _scary_ when angry."

"And this air of gloom and fear will help?" Wakka looked at the fairies "what got you girls down?"

"We were forced out of Guadosalam before we could enjoy a vacation!" All three fairies chorus angrily. Wakka rolled his eyes and turned back to Tidus.

"No really, if I was Riku, already feeling annoyed about intruders and I come to find my Medium and friend also gloomy, I think I'll be on a short temper too"

"So you're telling me I should be cheerful? I'm a Medium, Wakka, it's hard for me to fake emotions. Do distract me, make me appear silly or stupid so that Riku would laugh" Wakka glanced around and noticed the open window not far from Tidus' seat.

"Okay" Without warning he lunged at the other boy. Tidus let out a yelp as he was knocked off his seat and before he could realize it, both boys were out the window. Gravity grabbed hold of them, and the two plunged into the waters below. The YRP girls raced out to look at the window, and let out a breath as they realized both boys would be unharmed. After all, aside from a path linking the mansion to the front gate, the whole property was a deep pool of water for swimming and Blitzball. Tidus burst through the surface of the water and glared at Wakka, who popped up shortly after.

"What was that for? Someone of your age…" Wakka flicked water at him before swimming away. Spluttering, Tidus glared and dove beneath the water. Without warning, Wakka was yanked below the surface. Grinning, he kicked free, and that was how Riku found them when he finally arrived: splashing and playing in the water.

"Here I was thinking you need some rest, I tend to forget your energy at times" Riku smiled, mood lifting slightly as he caught sight of the childish scene. Upon seeing his Lord and friend, Tidus swam forward and climbed out of the water. Wakka followed afterwards, and the YRP group came down to give the two towels. Riku allowed some idle chatter, and it wasn't until Wakka announced he was going out – the YRP group quickly asked whether it was with that girl he met in Seventh Heaven, to which he refused to answer – that Riku turned to his Medium seriously.

"So, what news do you have for me?" Tidus opened his mouth to respond, and he instantly sensed a distant hostility nearby. He knew where the source was, one of the mansions next door; specifically the one where Seymour resides in. The words died in his throat, and instead he coughed and gestured to his home.

"Why don't we go inside and discuss this?" Riku saw the discomfort and nodded. The group went inside, but just before the door closed Riku thought he saw a glimpse of Seymour watching them from a window. His formal and personal relations to Tidus began to clash; it might be a good thing to have a Medium near by an enemy, but to also have a friend in the position just screams danger.

Outside in the streets, as Wakka arrived to the busier areas of Traverse Town, he noticed a group of people running about desperately, craning their necks and scanning with their eyes, like they were looking for something; or someone. When Wakka recognized a few of them as Riku's vampires who once had dealings with Tidus, his curiosity got the better of him; but because he made it clear he was not going to involve himself in vampire affairs he just casually walked closer to them. He soon heard their conversation.

"We're in trouble now, how did the Fledging manage to escape?"

"How would I know? I thought our Lord made it clear he was to be kept indoors!"

"Well, the Fledging chose to jump from the Lord's chambers; fledglings usually never attempt that because their human sides are still afraid. Of course none of us would expect he'll be an exception!"

"Has anyone alerted our Lord?"

"Not yet, if we do, we're going to be done for!"

"How many know that the Fledgling's escaped?"

"Just us, the ones that saw him jump"

"Then find him quickly, before this gets out" The vampires scattered. Wakka walked away casually, so as soon as Riku left for news from Tidus, the fledging attempts escape in a way least expected. If the rumors were true, and the fledging was as powerful as they say he was, then certainly such a jump will not kill him. Wakka didn't know whether to admire the fledging or not. Of course, the whole thing could have been an attempt at suicide, but somehow Wakka doubted that. He walked on, but he soon picked up another interesting conversation.

"Sora! Where have you been all these days? Did you know how worried we are for you?"

"You think I don't know that?"

"Why are you running away? Did you get into an argument with Demyx? He doesn't even know why you've suddenly disappeared! At least tell me why…"

"Do you seriously think _I_ will willingly run away from home? Demyx is about the only family member I have left!"

"Then tell me! Where have you been all these days?"

"Even if I told you, you won't believe me!"

"Then are you going to return home?"

"I…don't even know if I can…"

"Why not? Sora, did you know the day you disappeared, Demyx came back home bleeding and injured? Yet all he cared about was where you were!"

"Look, you weren't even supposed to see me! I'm not supposed to be even out here! Not just for my sake's, but if someone finds out that I've had contact with you, you might be killed!"

"What have you gotten yourself into, Sora? Please, go back to Demyx…"

"Namine! Let go!"

"Is there a problem?" Wakka interrupted, causing the conversation to come to an abrupt halt. He recognized Namine easily, but he was pretty sure he had never seen the cinnamon-haired boy before. When instincts told him to be cautious, he frowned at the boy suspiciously. Years of living amongst supernatural beings had told Wakka to trust his gut better then anyone else; well, except maybe Tidus. "Namine, is something wrong?"

"Who are you?" Sora asked, calming down at the sight of another person. He glanced at Namine questioningly, since he was pretty sure he knew all of Namine's friends. Namine looked torn between not telling Wakka anything and telling Wakka to help her stop Sora. Eventually she chose the former.

"No, Wakka, just a conversation gone a bit heated. This is Sora, one of my friends. Sora, that's Wakka, I met him recently when he helped my sister from an injury she received; and yes, she's fine now."

"Please to meet you, then" Wakka said automatically and offered his hand. Sora took it, but he had forgotten his new ability. As soon as he touched Wakka's hand, images flashed in his mind. A Blitzball game, a Castle Oblivion hotel, Wakka running as fast as he could down a hallway as explosions followed him, but more dominantly were images of three fairy-like girls and a blond Sora instantly recognized. Instantly on alert, he pulled back.

"You know the Medium" It was a statement, not a question; if anything, more like an accusation. At those words, Wakka's caution went up a level.

"You know what he is" Wakka countered. He studied Sora more carefully "I may not be close with Riku, but I'm friends with the Medium. How _did_ you know that anyways? If rumors are true, then you are the new _member_, aren't you?" Sora took a step back now, but before he could try anything his eyes fell on Namine again. He couldn't bring himself to look like a monster in her eyes, so he hesitated, unsure of how to fix the current situation without using his new powers to escape. The hesitation helped him, as Wakka sighed and folded his arms.

"To be quite honest with you, I don't care too much about your actions. As I said, I'm not close to Riku, and I mean it as I'm not one of his _group_. Tidus is, but I'm not, and despite what they say I have no obligation or wish to drag you back. Believe me when I say I hate that" Something flashed across Wakka's eyes, not exactly dark, but rather sad. He recovered quickly when Namine spoke.

"I feel like I'm missing something between you two"

"It's nothing Namine, we just happen to know some people" Wakka flashed her a grin before glancing around "hey, let's take a walk by Sunset Park. It's too crowded in here" Sora took the hint when Wakka gave him a discreet look. Together the three of them walked away and it wasn't long before they started talking and making friendly conversation. Gradually Wakka could see Sora ease, and the boy started talking more cheerfully. Namine's earlier questions about Sora's whereabouts were left silent, for Namine appeared to also want to keep Sora happy.

"You live on Sunset Street?" Sora asked, awed. At Wakka's nod, Sora released a breath "I've never even been there, except when I'm passing by. It looks like a quiet and peaceful neighbourhood, since it's not exactly the centre of the city life here."

"Well, I can't bring you to my place at the moment because we've got visitors, so we'll just go the park alright?"

Wakka hoped the few vampires that had seen Sora escape was still keeping it down. He led Namine and Sora to Sunset Park, which was hidden away by some trees and was but a few minutes walk to Sunset Street. Their talking and laughing eased the mood, and it was safe to say that they on the progress of being good friends. All good things, sadly, must come to an end. When the trio walked through a more forest-like area of the park, they froze in shock "What the heck happened here?"

A small area of the park had been destroyed. Flowers and trees had been ripped out and now lie carelessly on the ground. Trials of smoke lingered in the air, the aftermath of fires, but judging by the flickers of blue strands, the cause seemed to be of electricity **(3)**. To make things more ominous, there were traces of blood splattered about. The blood didn't appear to be just from humans either.

"This is Guado blood" Wakka whispered as he knelt down to examine a dried sample on the bark of a tree.

"This looks quite old, but the aftereffects are long lasting" Namine whispered "whatever had caused the chaos here, must have done it several days or maybe even weeks ago."

"Why is there such a high amount of Guado blood here anyways?" Sora asked as he looked around. Wakka glanced at the two of them and answered.

"Because recently, a large number of Guado have been moving to Sunset Street" Sora froze at those words. Riku clearly told him the vampires might be fighting with the Guado soon, was this the scene of a small skirmish? Namine, too, appeared to be negatively shaken by those words. "Come, let me show you" Wakka led the group closer to Sunset Street, and directed them to climb up a tree that could provide them a view of the street. From their view, they could see that at a distance there were Guado warriors standing about, watching the people and moving trucks.

"Though the Guado haven't done much yet, the idea of so many of them inhabiting Sunset Street is unnerving. They might be making a military base, or trying to create a buffer zone, and in the worst case scenario they want to take over Traverse Town itself to expand their territory, who knows. The scene at the park just puts us on higher alert; if it had been purely Guado blood we can dismiss it as a fight between them, but if there's human blood here as well…." Wakka glanced at the two "you can guess that those two races have already started fighting. Things are going to get very dangerous soon"

"We have those who will fight them, won't we?" Sora asked rhetorically as the trio slipped down the tree. "If push comes to shove, we're not totally worthless. We have Riku's group, and they are all pretty skilled."

"Plus, there will always be some civilian volunteers" Namine added. Wakka grinned.

"So, if the Guado attacks, who'll be actively fighting against them to oppose dictatorship or colonial government?"

"Here, here!" Namine and Sora laughed. The laughter was met with another's, dark and ominous. Terrified, both Sora and Namine stopped quickly and moved away. From behind a tree that belonged to one of the mansions' front yard, three Guado, dressed in warrior clothing, emerged.

"Well, well, well, Baneus, what have we here?" The first one, who appeared to be the superior, said.

"Hum, I don't know Sarbir, what do you think Eny?"

The third Guado only let out a strange chuckle, but the second Guado, Baneus, appeared to understand. "Yes, just what I was thinking" By now, the Guado were in front of the trio, and Baneus literally spat at the group "A trio of trespassers!"

"Quite by accident, let me assure you" Wakka answered smoothly "Simple navigation error" He quickly gestured to Sora and Namine to leave, and would have done so himself, except Sarbir laid a hand on his shoulder and effectively stopped further movement.

"Whoa, whoa wait, I recognize you. You're that Medium's _accomplice_"

"I, Guado, am the Medium's _friend_" Wakka snapped, he also recognized the Guado – just a few hours ago he had seen Tidus and Yuna confront them when they tried to force the Stigma brothers out. He turned back to Namine and Sora, only to see the other two Guado circling them.

"And that will make you…" Baneus allowed Sora to finish the sentence.

"Riku's newest member" Sora answered as he took another glance at Namine, who already looked frightened. Wakka was forced to step into the circle when Sarbir moved forward.

"Do you know what we used to do to trespassers in Guadosalam?" Sarbir smiled horribly at the three.

"You won't be able to do anything to me" Sora hissed, he knew he was exaggerating, but he was always the type to go down fighting, even if the situation happens to be like this. What's more, if the worst case scenario happened, Demyx might be one of the humans who will be forced under a dictatorship – just like Riku had claimed **(4)**.

"Technically they can" Wakka whispered to Sora, apparently misunderstanding what Sora meant "Look at their uniform, they bear the ranking and strength of each individual Guado, and they're pretty high up, even if they appear to be brutes…"

"Who are you calling brutes?" Baneus suddenly demanded, forcing the trio to quickly step back several more steps. Wakka decided to take charge then.

"It's getting late, time to go" The trio's attempt to leave was thwarted again, this time by Sarbir, who quickly got in their way.

"What's the hurry? We'll _love_ to have you around for dinner" The trio backed away from the warrior as Baneus added.

"Yea, we'll be sure to find you some _fresh_ victims"

"I'm sure we'll have some prisoners who _will_ give you their blood" Sarbir laughed darkly at that statement. He only stopped when Eny suddenly started making strange noises "what, Eny?"

"Hey, did we order this batch of prisoners to go?" Baneus asked.

"No, why?" Sarbir asked, and Baneus pointed.

"Cause there is goes!" While the Guado were distracted, Wakka, Sora, and Namine had fled the scene.

Sora ran ahead, closely followed by Namine, while Wakka brought up the rear. They had no idea where to run, and due to the earlier stationing of the Guado, the only way they had been allowed to run to was straight into the Guado's property. Thus, they were encaged by the walls surrounding the land. There were no trees they could climb over to escape, and the walls were too smooth. As they ran, trying to find a tree tall enough to help them climb over the walls, Sora and Namine failed to notice Wakka's disappearance until they made the crucial error of entering the mansion when it appeared there was no where else that was higher then the walls. When they looked back, intending to ask Wakka for advice, they couldn't see him.

"Where's Wakka?" Namine cried out.

Just a few feet away, Wakka was shoved unceremonious against the wall by the Guado; and they laughed hysterically when the vines on the wall turned snake-like and clamped down on the Blitzball player. "This guy's not so powerful, for all we know he's just human! Let's see if he can withstand that new torture device we were granted!"

"Don't even think about using it!" Wakka yelled, he was panicking but was not yet at the stage to lose his common sense. Luckily or unluckily, before the Guado could start anything a shout drew their attention.

"Hey!" The guards looked up to see Sora and Namine, looking out at them from one of the mansion's windows "Why don't you fight someone who can actually hurt you!"

"Like…you?" Sarbir whispered in a deadly tone, and Sora realized his mistake.

"Whoops" He and Namine let out a yelp of surprise as Sarbir jumped from the ground to the window. The two turned and ran back in the mansion, only for the doors to be flung open and Sora nearly ran right into the Guado. Namine let out a shriek, and the Guado let out a laugh before one of them made a swipe with a staff-like weapon. Sora dived out of the way and ran up a nearby stairway, closely followed by Namine and chased by the Guado.

The chase continued through the mansion as Sora and Namine ran from room to room, occasionally escaping possible dead ends through jumping out the window and then jumping back in another. The Guado gave chase, but it was obvious they were having fun and not taking it seriously. Sora and Namine ran up another set of stairs and Namine tripped "Sora!"

Sora turned around and saw Namine falling back, straight into the Guado's drawn weapons. Sora sprang forward and just before Sarbir could grab Namine, Sora reached out and struck the Guado across the face. Sarbir flinched, and let out a growl when he felt a fresh wound – Sora's nails had left their mark on the Guado's face. Now more serious, the Guado's movements quickened as he chased Namine and Sora up the flights of stairs into the furthest room. Sora rushed into the room and realized they were at a dead end – but they now had a window from the mansion's highest floor. He rushed to the window and looked out, his heart sank, the outside wall was pretty far off, he would have the jump. Sora turned to look at Namine "We have to jump from this window to the outside wall"

"Are you crazy?" Namine cried "We'll fall to our death! I'll rather fight the Guado; believe it or not I've had experience with this!"

"I'll rather take the jump, believe it or not I also have the experience; just a few hours ago before you saw me. Namine, trust me on this one" Namine shook her head and muttered something about Sora being crazy, but nodded. Sora stepped back and took her hand, the two exchanged nods before running forward and jumping straight out the window. For that split second it appeared as if they could make it. Then at the last moment, just as they could brush the ledge, they fell downwards. Sora only managed to get them both landing without injury as they fell back into the garden – back to where they started. As they got back to their feet, they saw the Guado approaching, weapons drawn and ready. Sarbir had the nerve to call out "here, little fledging…"

At those words, both Sora's and Namine's eyes narrowed. Namine was considering taking charge now, but Sora stepped forward. He knew at this rate, they would die, he had no choice. He drew in a sharp breath, and let out a strange _hiss_ as he finally freely bared his vampire fangs. Namine's eyes widened in surprise, but the Guado didn't appear fazed. Sarbir even laughed at the intimidation tactic.

"That was it?" Sarbir asked, amused. The other two Guado let out snickers, and he continued "do it again, come on."

Sora drew in breath, and when he next opened his mouth, instead of a kitten-like hiss there was a roar like a lion's, or a powerful vampire's fury.

"Huh?" The Guado said stupidly, surprised. Then, before they could even move, a flash of silver hair smashed them against the other wall. A figure appeared, smaller then the Guado, but no doubt stronger; With a few blows, he was sending the Guado facedown on the ground, and it was obvious he was throwing them around with relative ease.

Vampire Lord Riku had arrived, and he was _furious_.

Sora recoiled at the sight. He had seen Riku mad before, true, but he had never seen Riku lose control like this. The vampire was beating the three Guado mercilessly, and the look of outmost fury on the vampire's face was frightening. The eyes sparked fire and the vampire fangs were bared clearly; creating a terrible image of wrath and power. One of the Guado, Eny, tried to run, but Wakka and Tidus then appeared on the scene. Though not as obvious in showing it, the anger in the Medium's eyes was clear. When he saw Eny coming towards him, the Medium let out a snarl before throwing a punch at the Guado. Eny stumbled back, before grinning and giving Tidus a swipe from his sword, drawing blood from the Medium's hand. Tidus' eyes darkened and without warning, his Naginata appeared and struck the Guado back across the garden to Riku. The Vampire Lord threw the three of them together into a pile, and Tidus stepped forward to block them from escaping. Now, the Guado panicked.

"Hey-!"

"Ow-!"

"Come on-!"

"Please-!"

"Don't-!"

"SILENCE!!!" The Vampire Lord yelled, and the Guado cringed, with Baneus adding a:

"We're going to shut up, right now!"

"We're really sorry!" Sarbir added in a much more timid voice.

"If you ever come near my fledging again…" Riku warned threateningly.

"Oh, this, this is _your_ fledging?" Sarbir meekly asked.

"Oh, yours?" Baneus said, looking surprised.

"Did you know that?" Sarbir asked him.

"No!" Baneus answered "Me, I don't know"

"No, of course not" Sarbir claimed. He and Baneus looked at each other before glancing at their third member "Eny?" The third member looked at them stupidly, before nodding almost happily. Riku let out a rather vicious snarl, and the Guado finally couldn't take. They sprang to their feet and fled back inside their mansion, making a wild arc around Tidus and Wakka along the way. Wakka let out a relieved sigh and gave Tidus a small smile, but the blond didn't return it.

"You were lucky I could sense you panicking" Tidus whispered "otherwise, you would've been killed, or worst, taken prisoner."

Sora approached Riku hesitatingly "Riku, I…"

"You deliberately went outside without me or my permission" Riku snapped angrily. His gaze was harsh "Did you think I kept you in the skyscraper because I'm selfish? I'm keeping you there to protect you from things like this! You still fail to recognize the danger your position as my fledging gives you! Had Tidus not sense the panic and terror here, who knows what might have happen!"

"Riku…" Sora began, but Riku cut him off.

"Let's go home" He paused when he saw Namine there "No, Tidus, lead us to your home; human, follow us" Riku turned to head out, and gave another pause "Your hand is injured; you might want to treat it once we get back." The voice was softer now, less angry, but the gaze and posture was still firm. Wakka looked at Tidus, who was staring at his injured hand, and the redhead lightly touched Tidus' arm apologetically. From that movement, the icy anger washed out of Tidus, and the blond nodded appreciatively before leading the group to his home. Sora and Namine followed last, Sora appearing very dejected and not daring to meet Namine's eyes. The girl finally understood Sora's aversion to her earlier, and decided to voice her opinions.

"I don't think of you as a monster, Sora."

**(1) Sethoro is an anagram of Shooter, from Xigbar's game-name the Freeshooter  
(2) ****Anagram of Whirlwind from Whirlwind Lancer  
(3) ****This is the site where the Guado had a little fight with Larxene's lightning and Marluxia's plants earlier in the story  
(4) ****Remember what Riku said in Chapter Six _Supposedly Honest Answers_?**

**Today's promotion is not so direct. I was actually fooling around with the idea since I've never read the manga or seen the anime. I think I've seen the movie, but I can't really remember it. The idea is driving at high speeds for a job and then becoming a racer or something, it just really appeals to me for some strange reason (Before you ask, I am a very careful driver, I had a friend who got into a lot of Insurance and Law mess because she was in a crash), except I changed it from cars to motorcycles. Can anyone tell me the story of Initial D? By the way, there's a movie promo here too, and I'm sure most of you have seen the movie. Any guesses, reviewers? **

**Chapter Fifteen Promotion Anime: Initial D **


	16. The Bonds that Bind

**A lot of people recognized the movie promo in the last chapter! Congratulations to None, RavenGhost, Miss.EcoFreak AKA Usagi-Zakura, rokusasu74, the Cheshire Cat, girl 1213, AbnormallyWeridPerson and shrouded-obsession for guessing it to be _The Lion King_! I had to watch the show several times with my younger cousins during the Christmas break and I realized two things. Just to ruin your perspective of Disney, I'll tell them what they are:**

**1) Lion King is very similar to Shakespeare's _Hamlet_ in plot.  
****2) Scar and the hyenas are so similar to Hitler and his Nazis, it's not funny. That hyena-marching scene in the song _Be Prepared_? There's a Nazi Propaganda film that has an almost exact scene with Hitler and the SS, I saw it in my History class.**

**When I started noticing these things, I realize what a nerd IB has made me into P **

**Previously: Twilight Town's Highway Patrol Motorcycle Officer Hayner Kazunori meets Dusk's Head of Strategic Management Department Xigbar Sethoro after the latter drives his car over the speed limit. Vincent and Cid catch up about the events involving Jenova Vampires. Riku arrives to Tidus' home to discuss Guado news and Wakka leaves the place. He meets up with Namine and Sora, the latter having escaped the skyscraper and the guards unwilling to alert Riku. They, too, discuss recent affairs with the Guado, only to be confronted by three of them: Sarbir, Baneus, and Eny. After a long chase, Wakka's panic draws the Medium's attention. Both Tidus and Riku arrive to investigate the scene, and Riku easily frightens the Guado off. Once they flee, Riku orders everyone to Tidus' home – including Namine, who now knows that Sora is a vampire. **

"_Axel Fujiwara?" The redhead being addressed looked up, and even he blinked in surprise. The person addressing him was almost an exact copy of him: both of them had long red hair and electric-green eyes. The copy appeared to also have Axel's slender frame and voice, if those two words had been any indication. The only major difference at the moment appeared to be the two scars on the other redhead's face, right below the eyes. _

_Axel once heard a proverb claiming that a person with something in the path of their tears is destined to live a life full of sorrows. Somehow the stranger in front of him seem to confirm this, there was an aura of someone who had been through hell and back. _

"_Who are you and why the hell do you look like me?" _

"_My name is Reno, my last name is fake, and so you don't need to know." The redhead, Reno, reached into his jacket and pulled out a tiny box, which he set in front of Axel "this is what you need to know." _

_Axel raised an eyebrow, but curiosity took over him and he opened the box. Inside was an old and yellowed photo of a woman and two babies, both with tuffs of red hair and electric-green eyes. Axel had the same photo; years ago he posted it in the newspaper to search for the photo's subjects, and regretted it due to the annoyances it caused. Around one of woman's fingers was a ring, a ruby set on a band of silver. The real thing was beside the photo, also old and worn with age. Axel stared, and then looked up at Reno sharply "What is the meaning of this?" _

"_Isn't it obvious?" Reno asked. "Behind the photos you will see that the children are twins, both of them were redheads. That woman is their blood mother, who died years ago. Her ring, however, was passed on to one of her children, and the ring's right here." _

_Axel schooled his expression into neutrality and said "Many people have tried a similar trick to me, I applaud you for going so far, but you can't be my brother, it's impossible." _

"_You can't have expected yourself to be the only possible long-living specimen out here." Reno answered. Axel's eyes widened, and he caught the hint of smugness enter Reno's eyes. Not allowing it to slide, Axel gave him a sneer. _

"_Really, that has opened my eyes a lot. However, my eyes are already watchful about technology's progression. Nowadays, for you to create such a photo or ring is relatively easy. How much money did you have to part with?" Now it was Reno's turn to widen his eyes. Axel's smirk grew, but it quickly stopped at the other redhead's unexpected words. _

"_You think I'm trying to claim familial ties for your money?" The other redhead spat. "You rich bastards always think the world revolves around you and your money, isn't that right? Well, fine." Reno snatched the box out of Axel's hands and tucked it inside his jacket "Fine, I'm leaving now and you can forget about this conversation. My apologies for wasting your precious time" and sending Axel a hateful glare, the redhead stormed out. Axel stared after him for a while before reaching into his cell phone and dialing a number. _

"_I'll like you to investigate something for me, give me an answer in two weeks' time." _

_Just a few days later, Axel's door burst opened and Reno stormed in. He dragged with him an unconscious man, the investigator, and threw him onto Axel's desk. _

"_I've already left you alone! Why the hell are you sending investigators on me? I don't want your money, I want my peace!" and as quickly as he came in, Reno stormed out. By then, the investigator's research proved to Axel that Reno was not lying._

_Axel wasn't sure on how to make a proper reconciliation, so he put it aside in favour of the drama Dusk Corp was experiencing, and he spent most of his time plotting and manipulating. In the end, everything business-wise worked in his favour, but he had lost Roxas in the exchange. Reno unintentionally got involved as well, and had gained Axel's respect. Though it took a long time and they went through huge arguments, a truce was agreed and soon their legal status as brothers was settled. Reno seemed strangely relieved to change his records, for some reason. _

_Axel never figured out why. _

_He soon realized his brother was unwilling to tell him. One time he noticed a young woman with short blond hair stalking them before she revealed herself to Reno. The two of them left for some type of private conversation, and though not explicably stated, Axel knew Reno was telling him to stay out._

_Reno returned rather quickly, when Axel asked what happened to the woman, Reno smiled sadly and told him she left. _

_That night, Axel watched the news and saw the woman's body being carried off. He didn't confront Reno about it. _

After all, he himself didn't tell Reno anything. Bringing up the past was a sensitive issue for both of them, and neither were willing to ruin the temporally peace between them.

All he could do now was eliminate other things that acted as nuisances between them, nuisances such as the current shadow-possible-assassin that was following his brother. Although Axel knew Reno could deal with the assassin himself, Axel preferred to be the one doing the deed. Despite their similar attitudes, Reno valued life more then Axel did. In a rare moment of tranquility between them Reno had admitted his values had been shaken and rebuilt before. Now, the tortures Axel sometimes gave his victims disgusted Reno.

It disgusted Axel too, but he did it to remind himself of his own inhumanity. The last emotional words Roxas had given him was the accusation that Axel had no humanity in him; afterwards Roxas only talked to Axel is a cold, indifferent manner.

So Axel indulged frequently in this inhumane side of him, because that way, his humane side won't hurt. As if to remind him forever, one of the men he had used to his advantage tried attacking him a few days after Axel had tossed him aside. The man used a knife, and in the struggle slit the skin under Axel's eye, giving him a scar similar to his brother's. When Reno tried helping, Axel stopped him, instead he picked up the knife and cut the skin under his other eye. The two scars not only bonded him closer to his brother, but also cut off his emotions for years to come.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"That guy is going down, in fact, he better be going down! There will be no justice in this world if he can escape from that!"

"You never know, those rich guys – especially those as influential as he is – always have a way of escaping justice."

"It's obvious the guy was drinking and driving! He nearly killed Henry! And Hayner said it himself, the guy was driving like a lunatic!"

"Then why is the chief talking so long with the lawyer anyways? Was there any serious damages, kid?"

"Can you all quiet down for a sec?" Hayner snapped as he finally looked up from writing his report "I'm already angry and seething enough! Not only do I fail to put the guy behind bars, but I'm going to have to explain my behavior earlier!"

"Hey, don't be so down! You never know, maybe we can nail this guy! Besides, how serious can your stunts earlier be anyways?"

"Enough that some guy reported seeing a stuntman dressing up as a police officer" Another officer answered. Hayner finally let out something resembling a growl, and immediately his friends and co-officers shut up. Their chief's office door finally opened, and everyone scrambled back to their previous work. Hayner lowered his eyes and glared at the report he was writing as he heard Xigbar's lawyer spoke.

"Thank you for your cooperation, sir." The lawyer was saying.

"The paperwork can be settled quickly, Chris, escort them" The chief ordered, and Chris stood up to do so. The lawyer and Xaldin made to move, but Xigbar scanned the room and saw Hayner at his desk; smirking, the tall man moved forward.

"Hello officer, I just wanted to express my amazement and admiration for your skills again. I did want to ask you; by any chance, do you used to be a racer?"

"No" Hayner answered curtly, glaring at his report as if wishing it would catch fire.

"Hum? Too bad, skill such as yours would have been put to better use." He leaned forward and whispered "If you're ever off duty and want a challenge, just call, I'll love to see what you're truly capable of. I hate to know there's a cop out there that can challenge my title as the fastest man on the streets, so I'll like to confirm how serious you are before trying anything against you." Hayner's eyes left the report to glare at Xigbar, but the man only smirked wider before pulling back and leaving with his lawyer.

Once they were gone, one of co-officers spoke "chief, why did you let them go? The guy was drunk, we tested him!"

The chief sighed "yes, I know, but unfortunately he drank after the ride; it can be argued that the alcohol in his blood was due to that drink alone, and nothing beforehand. He's going to get off free."

"What!"

"Why that….I bet he and some lawyer came up with that dirty trick!"

"Geez, we really need to toughen our drink and drive laws here! People keep getting off so lightly! Honestly, fines and suspensions are not good enough!"

Meanwhile, back in Traverse Town, the dissent and frustration of other individuals were climbing up another notch. There was already tension internationally between the vampires and Guado, as Riku was one of the more respected leaders among vampires, but things seem to be closer then ever to blowing up. The grudges were becoming more and more personal now.

"That lousy Vampire Lord" Baneus snarled "I'll never be able to sit for a week" His companion, who was sitting across from him, let out a muffled snicker, which he tried to cover in pain. Baneus switched his glare from his injured leg to his supposed friend "it's not funny, Eny!" The other Guado, giving up on trying to hide his misplaced amusement, burst out laughing. "Hey, shut up!" Baneus yelled, close to losing his temper. When Eny didn't stop laughing, Baneus let out a snarl and made a swipe with his staff. Eny returned the favour, still amused. Their small scuffle ended when their superior, Sarbir, turned to the two of them.

"Will you knock it off!?" Sarbir yelled. The two Guado stopped fighting, though Baneus failed to resist the urge in pointing to Eny and claiming childishly:

"He started it!"

"Look at you guys," Sarbir hissed "no wonder we're not conquering the lands we wanted."

"Man, I hate failing" Baneus replied.

"Yea?" Sarbir continued "You know, if it weren't for those vampires and whatever support they have, we'll have this town in our control already."

"Man, I hate vampires." Baneus echoed.

"Surely though, that was no reason for you to disobey my orders" another voice added. The three Guado jumped, and looked up. Their nation's leader, Seymour Guado, stood there in an elevated portion of the room.

"Maester Seymour…?" Sarbir trailed off when Seymour's cool eyes landed on him.

"Though I said you may attack anyone with the fledging, I thought I made it clear that no harm was to befall the Medium."

"He wasn't hurt that badly! It was just a small injury on the hand!"

"It wasn't as if we could do much against him either!"

"Yea, what did you expect us to do? Kill Riku?"

"Precisely" Seymour drawled, looking coldly at his three subordinates. "You all know that to truly take power here, Riku will soon have to die. At his current state, unfortunately, he is too powerful. We have to strike him through his fledging, for that would seriously weaken him. That was my intent, but you couldn't even dispose him. Now, we'll have to find other ways to seize power. Simply buying the border street here isn't going to work."

A few mansions away from the one Seymour and his three subordinates were in, Zexion opened his eyes; but had to close them quickly due to the intensity of the blue-green light that surrounded him. His head hurt and his body ached. He didn't remember the last time he experienced such pain, his powers and recovery rate has always been considered almost legendary among the werewolves. When was the last time he strained his muscles in physically fighting? He had always opted for mind games and getting the enemy to hurt themselves, it had been a long time since he resorted to actually using his physical skills.

His attacker's face came back to him, Axel Fujiwara. In their records, Axel was supposed to be human, but now it was obvious he was either a slayer or also of the supernatural. The redhead was a manipulator of _fire_! Yet…Zexion didn't think he was trying to kill him. Remembering the bars that had been programmed into the car, Zexion concluded that the redhead must have been trying to capture him, but why? He didn't think he angered any other Werewolf Heads recently.

"He's awake" a soft voice said; female, not his attacker.

Slowly, he opened his eyes again. Now that he was better, the blue-green light lost their intensity. He could now see the young woman on the other side of a glass wall that stood between them. Zexion's sharp memory recognized her immediately.

"Undefined Vampire Number Seven…" To his surprise, bubbles rose from his mouth, and suddenly he realized his situation. The 'glass wall' separating him and the undefined vampire was actually the wall of a human-sized test tube, which was what he was in. The blue-green light was actually some sort of fluid that he was suspended in, and he saw his body was attached with many wires of different colours and sizes. There was one covering his mouth and nose, allowing him to breathe and speak. Bubbles occasionally came out every time he moved his lips.

"Ha, this ought to be interesting, I'll like to see his responses to the data" another voice added. Zexion saw another person by his glass tank, staring at him with the unnatural glee of a scientist discovering a new species. It was a male this time, young, also with green eyes. His hair was silver, and formed a thin curtain over his face. "According to these samples, he's no normal werewolf, way too powerful. You'll have thought he was one of us, especially considering the differences in his genes in comparison to his species. I'll love to experiment on him more, _He_ has given me permission as long as I don't kill him and get some information instead."

"What are you planning to do?" The woman asked; a hint of worry in her voice.

"It's rare to get an Incomplete Soul **(1)** as a specimen, sister. I plan to make the most of it. In the meantime, I think you should tell the others about brother's capture. Maybe we'll have to exchange this one for dear brother, although…" the smile on the silver haired man grew colder "I'll prefer it if we can just get brother out by our own means. _He_ doesn't know of brother's capture yet, if possible, I'll suggest you keep it down for a while, and contact the guy who helped you with this capture to break brother out."

In another Sunset Street mansion, Riku watched as Wakka helped bandage Tidus' wound. The almost intimate gesture between his Medium and an obvious outsider always made him frown, but he tolerated it for Tidus' sake. He knew how close the two friends are, and he also knew that if he tried to take Wakka away, it was a guarantee ticket for Tidus to leave him.

At one of the other sofas close by, Sora sat uncomfortably, Namine at his side. The human's eyes were wary as she kept an eye on all the occupants of the room. Sora, on the other hand, looked quite dejected and his eyes appeared dull. Not even the presence of the YRP group could catch his interest. Initially, Riku planned to really beat some sense into his fledging, but seeing that expression was giving him second thoughts – and since when did he become such a softie?

"Tidus, may I borrow your study for a while?"

"You don't have to ask, Riku. If you want to go there, just go"

"Keep an eye on the girl for me," upon seeing the girl's eyes, Riku added "but don't hurt her." There was something strangely familiar about the blond girl sitting in front of him, something that made him hesitant about just killing her to silence her mouth. For the moment, he dismissed the thought as he stood up "Sora, come with me."

Sora followed Riku to the study quietly. He remained quiet during the walk, and only flinched when they arrived to the study and Riku closed the door. The silver-haired vampire then settled on one of the comfortable-looking plush chairs and looked at Sora, before heaving a sigh.

"I planned on taking you here to give you a real thrashing, but I have the feeling that it wouldn't help our situation at all."

When Sora said nothing, Riku continued. "Do you know why the Guado attacked you?"

A direct question, but it took a while before Sora softly replied "because I'm a Vampire Lord's fledging?"

"There's a bigger picture to this" Riku beckoned for Sora to approach, and his fledging obeyed "It's not simply your rank as a Vampire Lord's fledging, it's the fact that through you, they can attack me. Vampire fledglings are bonded, linked, to their masters in ways deeper then you can imagine. For those such as you, who are still considered newborn vampires, the bond and dependence is even stronger. As such, you are almost physically part of me. Should you become injured, automatically my own powers will try to come and heal your wounds. If you're dying, I will be drained when those powers rush to your aid, and if you actually die, not only will I lose a large amount of my power, but it will be as if a part of me has also been 'killed off', so to speak. At that state, I will be severally weakened and easy target to any Guado weapon."

Riku took Sora's hands in his, and the fledging knelt down by his lord's side. Sora desperately tried to ignore the images that started flashing in his mind, focusing instead on reality. Riku's eyes were serious, and he gazed at Sora with a solemn air to emphasis the importance of the conversation.

"Do you understand now, why I have to keep you indoors, guarded by all my supporters? Should they try anything against you, I will know. Should you go outside, how will I know who killed you? Sure, I can try looking for evidence, but anyone can leave false tracks to throw us off course. I told you, Sora, that we might be fighting a war with the Guado soon. It's almost definite, considering the reports from my supporters and Tidus himself. If they managed to kill you, they are at a great advantage." Riku ran a finger along the back of Sora's hand "I know that you won't submit to me so easily, but Sora, at least understand why I have to treat you the way I do."

Outside in the streets, a man dressed in black casually stepped out of a bus and went up the steps to Oblivion Apartment. He lingered in the shadows for a while, until a person exited the doors. Catching it before it could be closed, he slipped inside quietly. He adjusted his hat, making sure it covered his face, before going to the emergency stairs. Elevators could have cameras; after all, he couldn't take the risk. He walked at an almost leisurely pace, as his body had been trained in sleuth. Arriving at the designated floor, he opened the door a crack to peer through, making sure there was no one in the hallways. When he saw it was empty, one of his hands reached inside his jacket and gripped on the gun hidden underneath.

He had followed his target for days now. He knew the schedule, the target's address and habits. The target will be dead by tonight. He stepped in front of the door, readied his guy, and kicked the door open.

Emptiness greeted him.

At another luxurious apartment, a man sat in his sofa drinking expensive red wine. His cell phone rang, and he picked up "hello?"

"Boss, it's me"

"Did you get rid of him?"

"That's the thing boss, he's not here."

"WHAT!"

"I'm serious" The assassin answered as he now walked out of Oblivion Apartment. "I've followed him for days, he definitely lives in the address I've found, but he's not in here today."

"How the hell do you do your job!? What do I pay you for!? Go find him now and dispose of him!" The man hung up angrily. He stared at the glass of wine he held in his hand, before smashing it to the floor in frustration. He breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down, when his cell phone rang again. Glaring, he picked it up and answered roughly.

"What??"

"Yo, Jacky-boy, so you really did want to kill me" A familiar voice sang. The man's eyes widened, recognizing immediately who was on the phone.

"Reno…."

"You know, Jacky-boy, I really meant it when I said no one will ever hear of your deeds after you made the payment. It hurts, to know that not only do you not trust me, but you are another person trying to send assassins after me. I've noticed someone following me since day one, Jacky-boy."

"So where are you at?"

"You don't honestly expect me to answer that, do you? Well, I'll give you a clue; I'm still in Castle Oblivion. In fact, as we speak I'm looking out the window, watching your assassin walk away. He's entering an alleyway at the moment, looks like he wants a smoke. Tsk, doesn't common sense dictate that alleyways are _never_ safe places?" **(2)**

"You're…" Jack Iavir's eyes widened "you can't be serious…"

"I told you, Jacky-boy, from our very first meeting: those who send hit men after me tend to be quite perplexed as to what happened to them. For you, however, I'll be a bit more generous." Reno's lips turned upwards into a cat-like smirk as he saw his twin brother approach the assassin. "Prepare to receive the body, Jacky-boy; or at least, what remains is left of it."

Reno hung up, and quickly heard the faint screams before they were silenced – no doubt by the wards his brother puts up. He decided to return to his apartment. Fixing the door should distract him. After all, he didn't need to watch how Axel planned to play with the human before granting death.

Fate apparently had other ideas.

A few hours later, Axel was admiring his finished handiwork when he felt someone breach his wards. Usually Axel was too lazy to set wards when dealing with prey, but when said prey happened to be his brother's would-be assassins, Axel set up wards so he could have time to torture them a little first. By wards, it usually meant human-and-vampire-and-werewolf-repellent. When he felt it breached, it means it was either another species, a good number of those species teaming up to break the wards, or one of those species but a really powerful one. As it turned out, it was a combination of the first and last clause.

"I certainly didn't expect us to meet again this way" Yazoo smiled as he stared at Axel's victim. Some of the flesh had literally been ripped off the bones, leaving only traces of blood and bits of meat. The stench was horrible; blood, urine, sweat, and of course decay all combined into one. Yazoo knew Axel was not Reno and was no doubt different, but even this was stretching it; Reno will never go this far in torturing someone. Whatever happened to the victim's missing flesh anyways?

"I didn't expect you to catch me in this condition either" Axel replied. He had spent a good amount of energy in capturing Zexion, but after this human he had recovered quickly. Axel was no vampire, but his food also came from humans. Now recovered, if Yazoo wanted a fight, he was going to get a pretty good one. Scratch that, Axel was a bit high after his feeding, and wanted the fight. This time, it was he who attacked first: with a swipe of his hands fire erupted around them. Yazoo's confident smirk reappeared on his lips, and he brought out his gun.

"We never did settle our fight, did we?"

It was hard to say who attacked first, one moment they were standing a good distance from each other, the next Axel was leaping into the air and throwing his chakrams forward while bullets from Yazoo's gun flew to where he been standing just seconds ago. They were fighting long-range now, fire and bullets flew between the two of them in speeds no human or normal vampire can follow. The two employed quick flips and somersaults just to avoid the other's attack, knowing that one second's hesitation can cost them their lives. For rarely do they find such a good match, what with having to keep a low profile and all.

Adrenaline was high and so was the bloodlust. They flew back and forth between the walls and the other's attacks, climbing higher and higher into the air. The moon silhouetted the two figures as nothing but flickering shadows, their movements faster than the light can follow. Humans passing by could feel the slight wind that came from the force their battle generated, but their eyes failed to see the two fighters. Their speed only momentarily paused when Axel and Yazoo came too close to each other. Just like the last time, Yazoo's hand morphed into an animal. His outstretched hand suddenly changed form and instead of fingers the snapping jaws of a wolf nearly ripped Axel's hand out.

Axel managed to pull back just in time, landing on his feet quickly. His hand was luckily still intact, and he moved out of the way again when Yazoo jumped forward with his hand – wolf head – outstretched. This pattern continued for a few more times before Axel retaliated by sending a burst of flame towards the Jenova Vampire. Damn, at this rate he'll have to find another human to feed off on, he was wasting too much energy. He looked back at Yazoo and saw that the vampire now had slit-like pupils and sharp fangs. This duel was going to take a long while. Someone needed to stop the fight soon, and sure enough, Axel's thoughts were answered.

"Not waiting for me and already showing that morphing ability of yours, yo, is my brother so much more powerful to you?"

The voice was drawled out coolly, slightly mocking. There was a momentary pause in action as the owner of the voice approached. Flyaway spiky red hair, tied in a ponytail at the back of his neck, trailed behind the owner in a smooth and almost artistic manner. A rumpled suit and unbuttoned collar made up the person's clothing, while electric-green eyes and small scars under them made up the person's face. Axel noticed Yazoo was no longer paying attention to him; the slit-like eyes were now focused solely on the new arrival walking closer to the flames.

"Jenova Vampire, we haven't met since I tried to set a bomb to explode in your face"

"Turk, you can't have believed that mere explosion could kill me."

"Well, one can wish" Reno stopped his approach and although he kept his eyes on the silver haired vampire, he addressed his brother "Axel, this is something I would like to settle myself. Hand me my former weapon, yo?"

"So the 'time to use it once more' is now?" Axel asked rhetorically. The chakrams disappeared from his hands as he grasped them together before pulling them apart. The gleam of the metallic silver rod slowly appearing in Axel's hands contrasted to the fire raging around them all. He tossed it to his brother, who caught the weapon gracefully and gave a testing swing. Satisfied, Reno gave a small smile at his brother before turning back to his enemy. Yazoo indicated his head slightly, and the two pounced.

A flash of electricity proved that the first attack was several meters to Axel's left, but almost right after Yazoo and Reno were jumping upwards from wall to wall on his right, clashing every time they got too close to the other. Just as suddenly they disappeared and reappeared close by the alleyway entrance, still exchanging blows. Midway through the fight, Reno spoke.

"You know, yo, when I first found out that the Jenova Vampires were here, I tried to stay low for a while" Reno was saying as he gave several more swings with his Electro-Mag "I even considered leaving the town, but then I thought to myself that it would be considered hiding, yo. That would be _very_ unlike me."

"You don't appear to have changed that much over the years" Yazoo said as he threw a punch forward, which Reno quickly avoided. "Still as wild and foolish as ever" A swing with his other hand that Reno blocked "and talking while you're supposed to be focused on fighting" One of his feet came forward, but Reno knocked it away with his own "even when I fought against brother he refused to talk" Another swipe of his leg forced Reno to jump up "because its way too easy to get distracted that way!" While Reno was still in the air the silver haired man brought his hand down, causing the redhead to fall backwards onto the floor. Yazoo pounced forward with his fangs bared, but Reno brought the Electro-Mag forward and successfully blocked them.

"Uh, no thanks yo, I don't want to die or become inflicted with Geostigma. After all…" He pushed Yazoo off and dived forward "I don't want to become a Jenova Vampire!" The electric shock scorched the wall that Yazoo's head had been in front of moments ago. "As for not changing over the years…" He brought the Electro-Mag behind him just as he felt Yazoo's presence there "you're no longer fighting me with relative ease!" Another electric shock flashed.

"You've grown stronger, true" Yazoo reappeared with a smirk. "Unfortunately," He ducked when Reno took another swing at him "it's not good enough to kill me" A swift punch sent Reno stumbling back a few paces. Reno allowed the effect to be dramatized as he twisted his body around, raising his rod as he did so. When he turned back to the silver haired man he brought the rod down in a harsh arc. Electricity escaped from the rod and flew towards Yazoo, who jumped away to avoid the voltage. Reno appeared in front of him in a flash, and aimed another kick.

"Sure, sure, your arrogance appeared to have grown too" When Yazoo blocked the kick, Reno simply twist into the air and brought his other leg out "So, how has life been for you lately?" Yazoo's other hand grabbed the leg, and Reno swirled downwards to aim a punch at the stomach "Jenova's remains have all been destroyed" He let out a sharp yelp when Yazoo's knee met him on the chest "Sephiroth is now leading you all" He escaped from Yazoo's grip and backed up a few steps, panting but still playful "What's more, Cloud's on your side now, all one big happy family?" At Yazoo's glare he corrected himself "ah that's right, the deal was that Aerith and Zack would be there too. I bet they've been annoying you"

"You're even worst" Yazoo commented as he threw his wolf-hand forward. It morphed into a bat, then another, and another, and suddenly it was as if Yazoo's hand had dissolved into an endless supply of bats aimed at attacking the red head. Reno swung his rod at the bats quickly, jumping from one spot to another to avoid any of their attacks. "Zack is not much problem," Yazoo continued as he glanced at his watch "nor is brother" Reno continued swatting at the bats like they were annoying flies, swinging them into the flames to met their demise "it is sister who seems to be a source of trouble" Yazoo's eyes diluted and he bared his fangs again when he heard Reno mutter something about Jenova freaks "Don't talk about mother like that!"

"Jenova, Jenova, you Jenova-obsessed freaks are _still_ into calling her mother?" Reno remarked as he smashed another screeching bat into the flames. "Please don't tell me Aerith or Zack does that too! They're not that stupid or brainwashed, right?"

"Turk, you really don't want to make me angry…" Yazoo hissed through gritted fangs.

"Sorry, can't hear you here!" The roaring of the flames and screeching bats, not to mention the greater distance that had now grown between them while Reno was busy with avoiding the bats, gave little room for Yazoo's hiss to reach Reno's ears - no matter how enchanted it was. Therefore, when Yazoo's voice suddenly spoke beside his ear, Reno knew he was in trouble.

"I said, you don't want to make me angry" Two hands suddenly clamped down on the redhead, one of which pulled the unbuttoned collar lower. Before Reno could react, he felt something sharp pierced into his neck. In that split second, he felt his emotions go at rapid fire.

Disgust, shock, anger, fear…_horror_, in that one moment he felt as if he had walked through death itself. He felt his life force and strength slipping, being drained by Yazoo's fangs and lips. The feeling made him panic, and in a move improperly executed Reno twisted his arm around and felt a smaller jolt of electricity pass him nearby when the taser made contact with the Jenova Vampire. There was a snarl, and Yazoo released him. Reno stumbled forward, dropping his taser and rod while he was at it. He grasped his neck, and drew the hand back to see blood on his fingertips.

"Shit…" he breathed as he slowly turned around to the silver haired vampire. "You…" he couldn't believe this "you bit me!"

Yazoo calmly wiped the blood off with the back of his hand. It didn't clean off the fresh blood on the fangs; his blood, Reno realized. "Only a little, it's not enough to endanger your life or turn you into a vampire" The words fell on deaf ears.

Rage and horror combined together would make even the calmest person panic, and Reno wasn't a calm person from the beginning. "Shit! What are you trying to pull, Jenova Vampire?! There's no way in hell I'm going to turn into a blood-sucking creature of _Jenova_! I'm not going to have Geostigma marks on my skin! You bit me! You took your fangs and bit me!" Reno was sure he hasn't felt as panicked as this since the last few years of ShinRa, and that time had been properly justified.

"Hey, Reno" Axel was suddenly beside him, picking up the weapons on the floor "I think at the moment, you're in shock. Let's go back and calm down, shall we?" He put on a smirk for Yazoo "As much as I know you'll love to continue, don't you feel at all put off for having your opponent disadvantaged in his shock? I don't know much about your past and what the former battles were like, but he probably needs to remind himself that some vampires prefer turning instead of killing. See ya some other time" Without waiting for an answer, a black portal opened up under the two redheads, and they disappeared. The flames, without the presence of their master, faded away.

Once they were gone, Yazoo's tongue darted out and licked the blood off his fangs before they changed back to a human's. As he said before, he didn't take enough blood to kill or turn Reno into a vampire. It was simply a wake up call for the redhead, in the past; Reno knew the only result of a loss would be death or at worst torture beforehand. The possibility of being bitten and enduring a fate worst then death was unheard of, but not anymore.

**(1) Kadaj called Axel this at the end of their fight in Chapter Nine _Ring Around a Rosie  
_****(2) Notice even in this story, bad things happen in the alleyways, starting from when Riku bit Sora, to Reno taser-ing a man, said man being drained by Sora…**

**Didn't see the anime or read the manga for this chapter's promotion. I've just heard about it from a friend. Apparently the saying should be "those born with a mole in the path of their tears are destined to have a life full of them" or something similar, I haven't seen the work. It's the beginning scene with Axel and Reno, at their first meeting. **

**Chapter Fifteen Promotion Anime: Lament of the Lamb**


	17. A Prisoner's Treatment

**I started a new fic for the D. Gray-Man fandom. For fellow fans, please check it out and tell me what you think! **

**Previously: Axel and Reno gets along fine, but neither are willing to tell each other of their past. It is also revealed that Roxas' last emotional words to Axel were that he had no humanity. Xigbar escapes liability by claiming he drank after the ride, much to Hayner's dismay. Seymour and his subordinates talk and it appears that they will soon be taking more aggressive moves against the vampires – the only exception being that Tidus be left unharmed. Riku, meanwhile, explains to Sora the bond between Master and Fledging, while at another mansion Zexion wakes in a lab with Aerith and Kadaj. At Oblivion, Reno's stalker fails to kill him, and instead is killed by Axel. Yazoo sees this and the two fight before Reno reveals himself at last, causing the Jenova Vampire and the Turk to fight once more. It is cut short when Yazoo bites Reno, and though there was no intent to turn or kill him Reno panics, so Axel takes him away. **

"Where I came from," one of the hard-beaten cops was saying "people get extreme media exposure if they drink and drive. Totally ruins their image, if it applies here Xigbar Sethoro will be busted in no time."

"Yea, too bad he's not married. Where I was born, the driver is jailed and so is the spouse!"

"Why the spouse?" Hayner asked.

"The idea is that the spouse will be so mad they will probably damage the marriage and force the driver to lose the family. If not, the spouse will forever remind the driver about their drinking habits."

Hayner nodded slowly as he took another drink. After work, his colleagues had decided to go out for a drink, and now they were in their most popular hangout. The bar was squeaky clean, as police officers were the regulars here. Henry had taken Hayner here several times, and by now the bartender and other staff members knew him by his first name. It was good whenever Hayner brought Pence or Olette here.

"I hear in some really hot places, the police will drive you 20km out of town and force you to walk barefoot all the way back. Just to make sure you don't cheat, they'll be watching you as you walk, drinking cold drinks in front of you." Another officer was saying.

"Nah, too much effort, I heard in some countries the offender just get automatic jail time of one year."

"Do they get a trial?"

"Dunno, but I hear in another country, you get a HUGE fine plus jail up to ten years."

"Whoa! That's harsh"

"No, not really, I hear there's this other country where you get two strikes."

"Not three?"

"You won't last that long. The first time you drink and drive, you get a HUGE fine, the second time you do, you face execution."

"EXECUTION!"

"Don't shout, I'm right by you. If you think about it, probably it's exactly what we need. I heard that a country once did some statistics and proved that impaired driving killed more people then all the wars they've gotten themselves into. In other words, more people die because of impaired driving then the casualties you get in wars."

"Wow, I wonder which country has the harshest impaired driving laws then."

"The one where the police can just pull you over and fire a shot at your head without a trial. See, rather then waste taxpayer's money on court, the government just eliminates the problem right on the spot." **(1)**

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namine walked down the streets in a daze, her mind reeling over what she recently learned. Though she still knew next to nothing about what was going on, Riku had given Sora permission to briefly describe his current state.

"_You see now, Namine, why I must leave Demyx and the rest of you behind. I'm part of another world now, for me, the old order is over. I have to put it behind me, and focus on my new role."_

Her body trembled, she still couldn't believe it. Innocent, cheerful, sweet Sora, turned into a creature of the night. She had no right to condemn him if he willingly chose to become one, but she had read between the vague lines Sora had given her and realized Sora had been unwilling.

_I never thought Sora would become part of the supernatural_. Namine reached Oblivion Apartment and entered. _He never seems to be the type…someone like him would never be considered of the dark. He has that innocent air about him, a deceptive trait for his victims to fall for_ She entered her apartment and closed the door. Though Larxene was technically her foster sister, the two of them lived in different apartments, so Namine actually lived alone. As she removed her jacket, she went back on that last thought about Sora having the appearance of innocence to hide his darker abilities.

_Then again, the same can be said for me._

At another impressive skyscraper, Riku entered the lounge, carrying Sora in his arms. After his explanation of the bonds, then Sora's rather vague explanation to that blond-haired girl, Riku had decided to take Sora out to feed. He didn't want his fledging to be moping too long, and giving him blood was the easiest way. Sora had complied, and after a brief period of blood high, had snuggled up to Riku and fallen asleep again. The vampire lord had taken responsibility and carried the boy back home, and he wasn't the only one.

Tidus walked beside him; face carefully blank to veil anything the Medium was feeling. A few vampires glanced warily at his way even as they bowed to Riku's presence. Tidus made a mental note that Cid seemed more agitated by his presence then usual; maybe he knew what Tidus was here for? Or should he take it as a sign that Cid was also hiding something? He'll put that thought aside for now, he was approaching Leon already.

Selphie and Zell were there as well, and they bowed as Riku approached them. Riku passed Sora over to Zell "take him back to his room." The vampire nodded and left, once they were gone Riku turned to the remaining vampires "How are the prisoners doing?"

"Neither would say anything" Selphie answered. "As we have yet to be given orders to do so, the two of them have not been harmed or tortured. As a default situation, we simply gave them no food so their strength is weakened." Her eyes shifted to meet Tidus' briefly, before switching back to Riku "with this considerable weakness, it should be easier for the Medium to access their memories." A cold smile rested on Riku's lips.

"Excellent, let us visit the undefined vampire first. Lead the way, Leon" The Commander nodded and led the group to where the prisoner was being kept. He unlocked the door and upon opening it, the group saw the glass coffin containing the sole occupant of the room. The back of the prisoner's head was facing them, golden spikes covering what the person looked like. He was absolutely still, lying in the coffin as if already dead, but not for long. Though the prisoner couldn't move due to the coffin's restriction, his voice said enough.

"I told you, Squall Leonhart, I won't be telling you anything. Either kill me or set me free!"

Leon said nothing, only stepping aside for Riku and Tidus, followed shortly by Selphie. The three of them moved forward and went around the coffin, allowing them to see each other. Tidus looked at the vampire critically, so this was the undefined vampire who had evaded them for so long. Looking at the young man's rather slender built was a bit of a let-down, he had thought the vampires will be more frightening then this. Riku stared down at the vampire coolly, greeting him with one word.

"Hungry?"

A twisted sort of satisfaction settled on the boy's face when the prisoner's eyes blazed with anger and humiliation. Riku knew that Cloud hadn't fed for a while, he had been about to feed when they had captured him. Add the time they had been starving him, any vampire would be hungry. Cloud still appeared to be able to manage though, which said something about the vampire's endurance. Filing that away for later, Riku continued "well, since you still seem able to survive, we won't be giving you blood yet. Anyways, this is my friend Tidus Fayth. In case you haven't heard of him, he's my Medium. Leon, if you will…"

The Commander lifted his hand. As he did so, the cover for the glass coffin rose and fell to the ground. Automatically, Cloud shot up, but Leon pushed him back down. Tidus quickly moved a hand is a specific pattern, and when his hands touched the glass coffin, strange intricate designs spread out to the whole thing. Once the designs met, the seal was completed, and Cloud's body turned limp. The Medium then moved his hands to Cloud's forehead and plunged into the memories.

"Find the earliest one" Riku ordered. "Find out who created him, who was his master."

Tidus tried, but to his surprise he found a strong resistance. Flickers of images came, but it seemed as if someone, no, _something_ was trying to stop him; an alien force that he had never encountered in all his experiences. The Medium tried to move forward, to grab at some memory, but the presence was overwhelming him. He was almost tempted to withdraw immediately; he had the feeling if he continued he'll be burned. Of course, his pride and the thought of Riku getting mad again prevented him from acting upon that wish. He pushed harder, and suddenly, he was in.

Colours and images flew around him in a blurry mix. Memories were usually disordered and scattered about, overlapping and fading, yet even Tidus have never seen such fragmented pieces. Some of the memories appeared to not be just fading, they were literally ripped away. For a second he wondered what the host had been through, but he dismissed it quickly. He was here with a mission, so he quickly skimmed through the images. To his surprise, he felt the resistance again.

_You are so persistent in stopping me, aren't you?_ The Medium thought. Fighting it, he searched through some of the dimmest memories, the sign of passing time. Again to his surprise, the oldest one he found couldn't have been that long ago. Did the host once have amnesia? Forcing the resisting pressure away, he seized the memory. The images quickly faded away into darkness, like how it had been in Seymour's and any other person's dream. Then the setting changed, and Tidus found himself in a forest…of white trees.

At the physical word, Tidus opened his eyes, but instead of his normal blue pupils a glittering blue seemed to have bleed out and taken over the whites of his eyes. Riku and Leon gave him their full attention as Tidus spoke in his own voice, but with the words of another's.

"_This is the earliest memory I have, this place of white trees and dark water, with shell-like shelters for a weary traveler. They call the forest here the Sleeping Forest, and to this day I can't remember whether I've ever visited the place before._"

In the memory, Tidus watched as a figure emerged from the black water. Cloud drew in a deep breath, wiped the water from his eyes, and then looked up at the people waiting at the edge. Closest to the water was a tall man with long silver hair, green eyes, and a long sword. The others appeared to standing further back, five of them in total, one of which was a young woman with brown hair and green eyes. From the descriptions he had heard Tidus knew that the woman here must be Aerith. The others stood in shadows, their appearances covered.

The tall man smiled and held out a hand, Cloud hesitated, and then moved forward from the water. As he approached, the tall man spoke "do you know who I am, Cloud?"

"That's my name?" Cloud asked, before shaking his head "no, I don't know who you are. In fact…" A troubled look came on Cloud's face "I don't even know who I am, or what I am…I feel strange, a bit awkward, somehow…" Cloud touched his lips, and pulled back when his teeth grew into fangs.

"Your body is just readjusting itself to Jenova" The tall man explained. "I am her first child, and therefore your leader and master."

"Hang on," Cloud interrupted. "Leader, I can understand and accept. Master? I'm going to need some convincing."

"_Believe it or not, our first conversation gradually turned into our first verbal fight_" Tidus continued in Cloud's words _"it wouldn't be the last_." There was a pause, as the memory shifted into mere flickers of images, but the voice remained steady. "_I accepted him as my leader quite easily, and was willing to obey his orders, but only to a certain degree. To the other Jenova Vampires, we were actors, playing the role of Master and Fledging, by all appearances even lovers. In reality our relationship was still formal, with only brief touches to show intimacy._"

The flickering of different images disappeared, and after fighting the resistance _again_ another dominant memory came in. Tidus found himself in a room, bedroom to be more precise. Cloud lay on the bed, eyes closed and pale. "_Then one day, I fell ill. It was rare, strange, because He told me Jenova vampires should have been strong enough to counter every sickness known to the world. I shouldn't have gotten sick; Aerith said I had somehow came in contact with the Lifestream. For a week or two I was fluttering between life and death. When at last I came to be…_"

The memory shifted again, it was easier for Tidus to push through the resistance this time since the memory was of the same room. Cloud still lay on the bed, but this time another occupant sat beside him. "_…I found Sephiroth watching over me. He wore an expression of worry and concern I hadn't thought possible._" Blue and green met each other, one in surprise and one in concern. The images flickered, but were always of the same scene, and as Tidus watched, the sickly blue gradually improved and grew clearer and clearer. Finally, the eyes were back to their original glow. Cloud's pale hand reached up, and a larger one clasped it.

"_As if a shadow had passed, in that instant, all of our problems and petty squabbles seemed to fade. I found myself no longer caring if he was my leader or master, because either way, he was someone who cared for me. True happiness, however, was to elude us. Because of my sickness, I somehow became 'infertile' in that I will not be able to turn anyone into my own fledging. The brothers advised Him to find another fledging, but he refused. It seemed as if he was willing to pass the fledging task to the others, for I was the only one worthy to be his own. Everything else was secondary…including Aerith's subtle but obvious hatred of our relationship._"

Another memory took form, and Tidus found himself fighting the resistance again. After a longer struggle, he was in what appeared to be a park or large garden. Cloud was seated on a bench, staring at the young woman standing not far from him. The memory appeared to have started after a conversation, because Cloud appeared shocked while Aerith was seething silently. She then turned and walked away. "_Out of everyone in the group, Aerith was the only one who hated the idea of us together. When it was just me, she didn't appear to have any grudge, but on the topic of Him, even though she made no obvious display I could tell she loathed him, yet she refused to tell me why. I realize that He isn't perfect, nor was our relationship, but we had stopped acting the part of lovers and started living it. Aerith hated it, hated our leader, hated Sep-_"

The Medium never got a chance to see what happened next. Without warning the mental resistance in Cloud's mind threw itself against him like a wrathful creature. Tidus found himself jerked out of the memory before he was thrown out. The pressure was attempting to get rid of him and at the same time, trying to suffocate him with renew vigor. Tidus finally let go, hurryingly retreating from the Undefined – no, _Jenova_ – Vampire's mind. The force chased him out, warning him of impending danger. In the physical world, the glittering blue of his eyes shrank back to his pupils, and he started to choke, gasping for breath. Cloud fared no better, the vampire jerked and thrashed in his cage, as if trying to throw something. The seals on the coffin started blinking, threatening to disappear.

"Tidus!"

"Lock him back, the lid, get the coffin lid" Tidus choked out, hacking up a cough as he stepped back. He watched the vampire thrash in the coffin and knew he was facing a something beyond his understanding. Under those seals, most people turn limp, but here was a vampire who was thrashing and struggling rather actively. Looks like the seals have to be directly on this vampire to control him, simply surrounding him in glass did not seem to be working. In the meantime…Tidus turned to his silver-haired companion "Forgive me, Riku, but there was an unfathomable resistance in this…Jenova Vampire's mind. I couldn't find out the name of his leader, but I've seen what he looks like."

"No matter, that's good enough." Riku glanced at his Medium "do you need rest? Or shall we simply move on to the traitorous werewolf?"

"I'm fine"

"Selphie, take us to Yuffie."

While Riku was dealing with his prisoners, Aerith headed down to the lab to see how their _own_ prisoner was doing. Earlier she had left Kadaj alone to his little experiments; now that he had stopped she was going to see what he had been doing. Briefly she wondered whether she should have brought a human down, but decided it wouldn't be a good idea. Sephiroth probably want information, but most definitely didn't want the werewolf to be healthy. That's how prisoners escape. She approached their prisoner's cell, and nearly slipped from something on the ground.

Aerith reacted quickly, grasping a table ledge to straighten herself. She looked down on the floor and her first reaction was to feel sick, for she recognized the red liquid at the floor. Her second reaction was doubt and confusion, as she realized the blood had no smell.

That wasn't the main problem though. Didn't Kadaj _say_ that Sephiroth passed no orders for torture yet?

She looked up and saw Zexion. The werewolf was breathing heavily as his form hung out from a section of the glass wall. He was drenched in his own blood and the blue green-liquid, which had – due to the gap Zexion had created – overflowed to the floor. Aerith could guess what had happened. The human-sized test tube was built so that if an outsider wanted to come in contact with the specimen, the fluid will first be drained, and then the glass wall will divide into sections before they were lowered. If one wanted to close it, first each section of the glass will rise up and close itself, before the fluid flow back in. Kadaj had probably simply set the glass to close itself before leaving, so he had missed Zexion throwing himself in between the glass to prevent them from closing. The glass had then cut into his body, and the healing fluid flowed out, therefore keeping him from dying but unable to help him recover.

Aerith moved forward and lightly touched the werewolf's face. A pair of eyes opened and focused on her before narrowing in anger. Aerith stared back at him before speaking "don't look at me like that, it's not as if we were ordered to hurt you." There was an unspoken _yet_ in that sentence. When Zexion gave no reaction, Aerith continued "as opposed to making the situation more difficult on yourself, I suggest you try to keep yourself out of trouble. Save what strength you have for a further occasion."

"Save me the pleasantries" Zexion answered "what are you here for?"

"As of the moment, nothing; I have no orders to be here in the first place."

"Then why are you here?"

"I just wanted to see how you are doing" The sincerity and complete honesty in her voice was real, and Zexion was surprised. For a while he was at loss at what to say, because he knew she was not lying to him or being sarcastic. Aerith's other hand moved on the keyboard in front of the cell, and after pressing a series of numbers the glass section that had cut into Zexion's body lowered. The Jenova Vampire then tenderly placed the weakened werewolf back inside before moving the mouthpiece to cover his respiratory openings. Zexion caught her hand before she could do so.

"Why?" He didn't elaborate, but Aerith understood.

"I don't want to hurt another person who has already gone through painful tortures in the name of science" she answered. "There are few supernatural creatures, but fewer still are the ones created artificially. We were created always with the assumption that we are no more then expandable goods for science or war. With all the torture already inflicted upon us, why should we add on to it?"

Zexion took a few minutes before questioning "you were created artificially?"

"Well, yes and no, but considering you are on the 'other side' I won't be telling you much." She smiled, but there was no happiness in it "I have heard that the Werewolf Head of Traverse Town has no memory of his past, but even you must have known you are different from the other werewolves. You must have seen how the people you've turned are stronger then any other werewolf. In dire situations, maybe you've noticed how you seem to have an unrecognizable power. You may have many other questions, but no answers. I am not familiar with your situation, but I can tell you now, you are no freak or mutant. There are others like you, and arguably like me you were all artificially created."

"You've seen them?"

"I have, but they are also of 'another side'." She gave him no chance to ask more questions as she covered his mouth with the mouthpiece. After pressing another series of numbers the glass section close off completely. Zexion continued to watch her as the blue-green fluid began filling up the tube again. As that happened, the wound began to fade away, and Aerith gave her last words "our numbers are few, and we are all on different sides and placed against each other. In time perhaps we will wipe each other out, and probably destroy thousands of the normal supernatural creatures. It's a real pity, that we can't be a family like our genes suggest. Together we will be powerful, but although there have been many attempts no one has managed to truly unite all of us as one."

A silence filled up after Aerith's words. She no longer appeared to be looking at him; her gaze was faraway and lost in her own turmoil. Zexion, too, dwell silently upon this new discovery of his. When Aerith returned to her senses, she didn't bid him farewell. Moving silently, she left the lab and went up the stairs. Only right before she closed the door did she sense Zexion's eyes behind her again.

Once on the other side, she saw Zack leaning on the wall across her. The dark-haired man looked at her and got to the point "where's Cloud?"

For a split second, she considered not telling him anything. Then she asked "how much do you know?"

"That there are rumors among Riku's vampires that they've caught a blond Undefined Vampire."

Aerith closed her eyes, when she opened them; her gaze was hard "yes, they've caught him." Zack's eyes left her to look at the door she stood in front of.

"Should we exchange prisoners?"

"As of the moment, they haven't raised the alarm yet. No doubt they think Zexion has gone wandering by himself again, it will be a while before they announce anything. Does Sephiroth know of Cloud's capture yet?"

"I don't believe so, but he will soon."

"When he does, even he will pause to consider attacking the vampire headquarters. An exchange will be most likely, but even I know not to trust the vampires here completely. They might try to bait us all out at once to finish us."

"Then it will be best if we approach them first" Zack frowned thoughtfully "make the situation seem as if we have the control. We'll have to discuss this, where are the brothers?"

"Kadaj and Yazoo, if I remember correctly, are going to spend some time with Zell. Loz, I'm not too sure, maybe he's at the shop."

"Actually, it's more likely he's at Seventh Heaven." Zack allowed a dry smile to cross his features. "Aerith, don't view them as that different from us. Yazoo and Kadaj both really like Zell and you can easily see they are friends; Loz is obviously interested in seeing Tifa more then should be allowed. They are not simply clones; _we_ are not simply artifacts, despite what you may think. You comfort Cloud all the time, but even you must believe in those pretty words, or it loses the effect."

Back at Oblivion, three slender figures sat on various sofas, looking at the moon. All of them held a crystal glass of red liquid, occasionally slipping at it. Eventually one of them finished the glass, and spoke "it is said that perhaps the most common IQ question out there is the one about the elephant and refrigerator. Have you two heard of it? In three steps, describe how one may put the elephant into the refrigerator."

"I've heard of that question before, Marluxia, Sora once asked me that." Demyx swished his glass around and answered "you open the refrigerator, put the elephant in, and then close the door."

"Then have you heard of the second question? How do you put a giraffe in the refrigerator?" Marluxia asked.

"I know this one," Larxene said "you open the refrigerator, take the elephant out, put the giraffe in, and then close the door."

"This is so unfair if you two already know the answers" Marluxia complained. "Alright, how about this: there is an animal meeting consisting of every type of animal possible: lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys….etcetera. They take attendance and realize one of them is missing, which one is it?"

"The giraffe" Demyx said simply.

"Because it's the animal still stuck in the refrigerator" Larxene elaborated.

"Last question: There is a jungle man in the forest, the Tarzan-type who goes around swinging from vines and trees. He needs to cross a river, which is famous for its vicious crocodiles. He can't just swing over it like usual, so how does he get across?" Finally, Demyx and Larxene blinked in confusion. Marluxia smirked, knowing he finally got a question they haven't heard the answer for.

"He jumps from crocodile to crocodile?" Demyx suggested.

"He brings in other animals to fight the crocodiles off?" Larxene volunteered.

"Nope, wrong" Marluxia answered lightly. He was about to stand and refill his glass, leaving some more time for the two to think, when a hand slapped itself down on his shoulder.

"I know the answer" Axel smirked "he swam across the river."

"What?" Demyx said "that's impossible!"

"Oh, I get it!" Larxene injected "he himself killed all the crocodiles before going across!"

Axel rolled his eyes "no, you two. He just swam across because there was no danger; the crocodiles were at the animal meeting!" While Demyx and Larxene spluttered, Axel turned to Marluxia "it's done. I personally saw to it that Zexion was handed over to one of the Jenova Vampires." That stopped the spluttering, and Larxene quickly spoke up.

"So? Did everything go smoothly?"

"I had to exchange a few blows with him, but because of his lost memories he failed to do any of his old attacks. In other words, his strength was limited to an average Werewolf Head's. He was pretty easy to handle, I gave him to Aerith and she should have taken him to her leader by now. I took some food already, so I've recovered."

"You don't look like it."

"I also had to deal with another potential assassin after my brother, but that's not important." Axel smirked, and slid behind Demyx before draping an arm around the other's shoulders "thanks for the acting; Zexion wouldn't have fallen so easily without it. Deciding to hate me was a nice touch; he thought he didn't have to concern himself with my health since it obviously won't upset you."

"Right" Demyx smiled and allowed himself to lean closer to the redhead "After all, _why_ would I hate the one who convinced the Organization to let me leave for the few years it took to raise Sora? The only thing I don't like about you is your so-called protection of Roxas."

"Ah, but you trust me enough to not hate me _completely_ for it" The redhead glanced at Demyx's hand, which still bore the ring. Smirking, Axel trailed a finger down to the jewelry "do you know where this ring came from?"

"It's not an official product; normally I would have assumed you just created it for the trap but considering you can't design rings of such elegance, I'll say it probably came from the Organization's personal designs. A shot in the dark, but perhaps it came from my own dear cousin Roxas?"

"Clever boy," despite Demyx's earlier words, Axel's arm returned to his shoulder. Further protesting was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. The group looked at it for a few seconds before Marluxia reached over and picked up.

"Hello?" Pause "Ah, Mr. Glenn, I thank you for the other day….what?"

"Those things you sold me were nothing but a fake!" An angry voice on the other side yelled "did you know how humiliated I was at the party today when I revealed it?"

"You revealed it? Under the contract you signed before the purchase, was it not one of the terms that the plants are kept hidden?"

"Now listen here, I paid the money already –" the words of the other man cut short, and Marluxia heard it; the sound of a low snarl, like an agitated wild animal.

"_Lilium lancifolium,_ tiger lilies. There is an old legend that a hermit helped a wounded tiger by removing an arrow from its body. The tiger asked the hermit to use his powers to perpetuate their friendship after his death, and the hermit agreed. When the tiger died, his body became a tiger lily. Eventually the hermit drowned and his body was washed away. The Tiger Lily spread everywhere searching for its friend. I _warned_ you about it before giving my Tiger Lily to you in hopes you would be its friend, by revealing it after a promise not to, you've ruined the trust."

There was heavy breathing on the other phone now. Marluxia's lips turned upwards as the man finally regained his voice.

"Help me! There's…there's a _tiger_ in my room!"

"As I told you when you signed the contract, if any of the terms are breached, we will not take responsibility for what will happen."

"Wait! Sir! Marluxia! Please, help me!" Whatever else the man had been planning to say was cut off by sudden screaming. Marluxia removed the phone from his ear just in time, and the florist's smile was cruel. He hung up calmly before turning back to the others. Larxene leaned forward from her position.

"How much does this make?"

"That would be victim #3548, our available troops increase seemingly daily." As he spoke, a small orb of blue light flickered to light in front of Marluxia. The man smiled as he clasped the new Will of the Wisps in his two hands. When he opened them, the blue orb was gone.

"Favorable statistics," Axel commented "but hopefully we won't have to resort to all-out war with anyone. As good as numbers are their skills can be lacking."

"We'll have more skills if you'll stop killing your victims instead of just getting control of them." Marluxia pointed out "Kenneth has high potential, but no, you have to go _burn_ him to death. Tell me, is it really because he was going against the company's interests? Maybe you just _like_ killing? Or, is it because he used to be pretty close to Roxas and now you've got the _perfect_ excuse to get rid of him?"

At those words, Axel felt Demyx shift and turn to gaze at him. So he chose his next words carefully.

"I eliminated him only because I'm not sure what else he might do even if removed from the company, nothing more." But his voice was no longer as steady.

**(1) I learned this all in Law class. Countries are: Australia (media), Malaya (spouse), Turkey (20km walk), Finland (automatic jail), South Africa (fine or 10yrs), Bulgaria (two strikes), Canada (cars kill more then wars), and El Salvador (firing squad).**

**Two parts to the promotion: Cloud's earliest memory and that phone call with Marluxia. Cloud's memory came from volume three of Pet Shop of Horrors, which was never turned into an anime, hence why some might not recognize it. The phone call, on the other hand, was in the manga and anime, although with slight alternations. **

**D. Gray-Man fans, remember to check out my other fic _In Cold Embraces_! **

**Chapter Seventeen Promotion Anime: Pet Shop of Horrors **


	18. Meetings and Grudges

**I am SO sorry for being a month late, but school really got into me and I could only write piece and pieces of the story. There was also some mass panic going on as I finally threw myself into scholarship applications. Then I decided to give some more attention to my other fics, as well as nail down the plot bunny I had for a Trinity Blood one shot (if you're a fan, please check it out!) **

**Previously****: Namine has, to some degree, learned the reason why Sora is missing and has been swore to secrecy, but she seems to already know of the supernatural world. Riku, Tidus, Selphie, and Leon visit their prisoner, Cloud, and manage to learn the 'Jenova Vampire' issue, but not much more as Cloud forces the Medium out of his mind. Aerith visits **_**their**_** prisoner, Zexion, and hints to him that there are more of Zexion's kin then he knows. When she leaves, she and Zack decides it's about time Sephiroth knows of Cloud's capture. Axel tells Marluxia, Demyx, and Larxene that Zexion is now in Aerith's hands. Finally, Marluxia receives a call from a customer about the Tiger Lilies he sold, and Marluxia is revealed to be using his plants to indirectly kill and turn the victims into the groups 'available troops' – in the form of Will of the Wisps. **

"Mr. Sethoro?" the addressed man ignored him, too busy with the woman sitting at his side. They leaned against him, laughing and teasing, and the man laughed along with them. Several glasses of wine stood at the low table in front of them, their almost-empty contents indicating how much alcohol had already been consumed.

"Mr. Sethoro?" the young man asked, more nervously. The older man continued ignoring him, instead making a rather lewd comment about the women's clothing, or lack therefore. The woman only laughed, and another poured him another glass.

"Let's drink some more wine, mister" She laughed.

"_More_ wine?" the man repeated, annoyance clear in his tone despite the half-drunken slur "you've both been putting me off and telling me to drink. This time you drink, I'll pay you more if you do"

"Are you serious about that, mister?" The pretty woman giggled.

"Of course I'm sure! Who do you think I am?"

"Then I'll drink it!" The other woman picked up the glass and started draining it, much to the man's amusement.

"Yeah that's right, go on, and drink it! Drink more! Drink it all!" When the woman finished, the man laughed and clapped his hands. Then he reached inside his jacket and pulled out his wallet. Selecting two hundred dollars, he tossed them at her lap "there you go! Your reward!"

"Hey, why does only she get money?" The other woman whined, "I want some to!"

"Go ahead" the man chortled "finish the rest of the bottle, and I've give you twice the amount"

"Hey, I want that!" The first woman whined, as the two women began playfully fighting over the bottle, much to their customer's amusement. The young man standing at the side started sweating, already he was losing his nerve, but before he could speak again the door opened, and another man entered. He was tall, with dark air and a serious no-nonsense look on his face. Upon his entrance, the half-drunk man finally looked up, and the girls stopped fighting.

"Yo, Xaldin" the man waved casually. The newcomer, Xaldin, ignored the greeting and turned to the others in the room.

"Nothing happening here is any of your concern, you may all leave." The woman quickly obeyed, but the young man hesitated.

"Em…sir…"

"You're Carol's man?" Xaldin asked, at the young man's nod Xaldin continued "we'll talk to him tomorrow, don't worry. Go home" the young man obeyed, leaving the two dark haired men alone. Xaldin took one look at Xigbar's state and frowned "go sober yourself up, we have to go."

"Eh?" Xigbar squinted up at him "where to?"

"Organization meeting at Dusk, remember?" **(1)**

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Demyx didn't like Hollow Bastian.

It wasn't so much the city was _bad_, if anything it was much more active than Traverse Town, with more people and an even stronger economy. Sure, the rich and poor were made much more obvious, and there were more 'dangerous' places with higher crime rates, but that wasn't the reason Demyx disliked Hollow Bastian. He reason was a very simple one: Hollow Bastian was where the main office of Dusk Corporation resides.

"Demyx?" Marluxia's voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up, showing attention. Marluxia sat across from him at the limousine they, along with Larxene were riding. Axel wasn't here; most likely he will be accompanying Roxas to this meeting. Lexaeus was originally supposed to be responsible for Demyx, but as the water-controller had gone back to Traverse Town, Marluxia and Larxene had offered to be responsible for him.

"We're aware of your reluctance regarding Dusk's affairs, but let's not make it too obvious to them, alright? It's bad enough that we're being looked down upon by the others, we don't need to give them a reason to actually throw us out." Demyx looked away.

"You know I didn't want rank or power in the first place, I don't care about such things, so I wouldn't care too much if I do get kicked out."

"Yes, we know" Larxene confirmed "but it's not that easy. If you're out of the Organization, you will be easy prey for the Guado or our other persecutors. Without the protection and privileges, you would have died a long time ago."

"I left the Organization for several years and survived."

"That's because Axel convinced the others to give you leave, and not meaning to brag but you had Larxene and I watching your back. If you drop out of the Organization, we'll be ordered to stay away from you, and we'll be unable to help." Marluxia leaned back "Demyx, you're old enough to realize the world doesn't revolve around you. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean you can just ignore it. The world is a stage, a game, and it has its rules. We may bend it, but the penalties can be harsh."

"If anything, to truly desire change" Larxene tilted her head to the side "you'll have to first change the rules. We all know that better then anyone, as right now, _we_ are the ones who will try to change it." The limousine finally stopped, they had arrived to Dusk Corporation's Head Office. The building was huge, majestic, and fit right among the other businesses surrounding it. A man standing by the double doors approached the limo and opened the door, and the three of them stepped out. As the driver drove the limo away, the three entered the building. The place literally smelled of money and wealth, as expected from the strongest corporation of the city and arguably of the country.

While it wasn't exactly a secret meeting, today's meeting was only for a certain few. The Organization members were all gathering, though it was unspecified to what the matter of discussion was. Demyx guessed it might be something with the Guado, since the news of their brief battle must have gone forward, not to mention the little role he played in Guadosalam could be received with mixed reactions. He, along with Marluxia and Larxene, arrived to the meeting room, where a few of their fellow members already were sitting.

The head seat was empty, so the members who had arrived were doing their own thing. Luxord Marlbeg had a set of cards in front of him, playing some sort of game by himself. Saix Devirni **(2)** and Vexen Kando were working on something in their laptops, while Lexaeus Elitehorns was meditating at the side. Axel was flipping through a magazine, and beside him was a spiky-haired boy that could only be Roxas.

Demyx stared at him, and the boy lifted his eyes to meet his gaze. Axel looked up and gave a rather lopsided smirk "Demyx, meet your cousin, Roxas. He looks fine and dandy, wouldn't you say? I haven't let harm befall him." Roxas ignored him; instead he stood up and observed the water-controller. Yes, they were different, but they had their own similarities, and their senses – modified due to the experiments once done to them – were already recognizing each other. Demyx broke the approaching silence.

"Roxas," the smile obviously showed a stronger emotion, but there were no words to describe the moment. Roxas' mask dropped, the rather stoic face turned young, boyish, and happy. Roxas hadn't smiled for a long time, he blamed it on all that Axel has put him through, but this reunion was enough to bring it back.

Without restrain he ran forward, ignorant of the gazes around him. Demyx spread out his arms, still smiling and Roxas ran into them, burying his head onto his cousin. Small hands clenched tightly on Demyx's clothes, as if afraid that the person would disappear from him again. Demyx returned the embrace, and began patting Roxas' head and making small, shushing noises. Roxas trembled, not in fear, but in a great joy that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Demyx…finally, I've got to see you again." The boy choked on his own words "I thought…for sure…that I would never have the chance. It seemed as if you just disappeared all of a sudden, and I was one family member short…"

"I'm here now, Roxas, there's no longer the need to worry or fear" Demyx smiled as he continued stroking the younger boy's head. _At the time you needed my support the most, I wasn't there…you must have suffered…but it won't happen again. This time there is no obligation, no conflict of interests, no worry on my side, no Sora…_and his thoughts screeched to a halt.

He…had failed again.

He left the Organization, left Roxas, so that he could take care of Sora. Now, Sora was taken away, and he wasn't there – _couldn't_ be there – when Sora needed him most. Protecting his younger cousins appeared to be something he was very bad at, it seems as if Axel could arguably have done a better job. That was seriously poor performance, as Axel was the one who had used Roxas to…

"Oh look, the cousins have finally reunited, how _sweet_" Xigbar Sethoro sneered as he walked in, Xaldin at his side. Marluxia's and Larxene's eyes immediately narrow in dislike, and even a wary hostility entered Axel's and Demyx's eyes. They were nothing compared to Roxas though, whose eyes blazed in anger at the very sight of the man. Yet knowing the difference in ranking, none of them tried anything. The most Roxas managed was two words.

"You're late"

"Hum? Really?" Xigbar carelessly threw a look at the clock, "doesn't matter, the Superior isn't even here yet." He flopped down at his chair and glanced up at the ones still standing "well? Sit down, don't just stand there."

He had no official right to order them, but they obeyed; though it was obvious none of them liked the idea of him having authority over them. Before anyone could say anything though, the doors opened again and Xemnas Axthrone, the Superior, CEO and owner of Dusk Corporation, walked in. Like good students when a teacher comes in, the Organization members quickly placed their things away and sat in attentive mood, their words only being greetings to Xemnas at the head seat. Once the pleasantries were done, Xemnas took control of the meeting.

"It has been a while since we've gathered as the Organization as opposed to as business leaders in the same corporation. To start off, let us welcome Demyx Suzumura **(3)**, Number IX, back to the Organization." There was a polite applause before he continued "Following his return to us, he has already proven himself against the Guado. IX, if you may"

Demyx indicated his head before speaking "the Guado, led by Seymour Guado himself, has begun to further their imperialistic ideals from their war with the Ronso. Recently they have moved into Traverse Town's Sunset Street, a street at the edge of town usually for the rich. Hence, plenty of space to store both arms and soldiers. Along with XI and XII, we have already been ambushed. To counter this, I was sent to Guadosalam, where Number V was positioned at. We were set to deplete the Guado's forces, but as it turns out, the plan with the YRP group went better then expected, and they have already disposed of Lord Orion Guado's forces."

"Everything went as smoothly as it possibly could, then" Luxord nodded.

"Anything else of interest?" Vexen asked.

"Yes, in fact. While I did battle with Orion, I met up with Namine Nakahara's other half, Kairi Chida."

There was a pause, then Lexaeus let out a chuckle "no wonder we were never able to find her, all along, all those years, she was hiding among the Guado."

"On the contrary, she was with the Ronso, at that little village of theirs by the river." Dempyx corrected. "I believe the Ronso has all been slaughtered when they refused to cooperate with the Guado. I do not know where Chida currently is, as she fled just as the duel between Orion and I finished. It is worth noting, however, that she helped one of Medium Tidus Fayth's friends heal before her departure **(4)**. While there is a chance she did it simply to spare innocent lives, we might want to consider looking for her through this new 'friend' of hers."

"Superior, do you believe we should find her?" Saix asked.

"No need, as of the moment we have no need of her, let her go as she pleases."

"She's not important anymore" Xigbar said, dismissing the subject with a wave of his hand "we no longer need her around."

"Let us review other subjects now" Xemnas turned to look at Xaldin "from what I've been hearing, the Oblivion Apartment in Twilight Town is still, shall I quote, 'haunted'?"

"So far, no serious damage or injury has been done, to either the building or the occupants" Xaldin said "I personally believe it is nothing of weight, but if you wish, we will launch an investigation."

"I am seriously considering that, just to give an answer to those rumors before it becomes a serious issue. Xaldin, will you be able to do an investigation?"

"I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee it with some of the things doing on"

"If you wish, Superior, I can go" Marluxia spoke up. He caught Vexen's eyes, and gave the taller man a subtle, but pointed look. The taller man understood.

"I think it will be better for an outsider to come it, if Marluxia went, he can blend into the occupants' crowd more easily, and does not have to face the barrier of being an authority figure in the building." The look Vexen gave the younger man was an angered combination of _Are you happy now _and _What the hell are you up to this time_. Marluxia only smiled at him, at a quick glance it was a smile of gratification, on a deeper analysis the smile was almost mocking, as if answering with _ask no question and I tell you no_ _lies_ **(5)**.

"I'm not sure about that…"

"Come now, Superior" Larxene smiled "Xaldin is busy, but Marluxia has a lot of free time on his hands, he should go." There was a snort from Xigbar.

"Of course he'll have a hell lot of free time, unlike the rest of us hard-working folks, he's only at the background!"

"Xigbar Sethoro, or should I say, Number II, may you say your words more politely?" Frost was dripping from Larxene's voice. Xemnas turned to him.

"Number II…." The warning was clear, and Xigbar backed off.

"Okay, okay, please _excuse_ _me_, Number XI" He shot Larxene an annoyed glare, the woman returned a false smile.

"Now then," Xemnas continued "any other issues related with the Guado?"

"No more movement, as due to the sudden loss of Orion's forces, Guadosalam is still recovering" Lexaeus responded. "It is safe to say we do not have to expect anything major from them soon. The Castle Oblivion in Guadosalam is being investigated, but I've already gotten rid of any incriminating evidence. If worst comes to worst, I can always blame the YRP group. The Guado already believes they deceived me to get in."

"About the only potential threat in Traverse Town is that they are forcing many Sunset Street residents to sell their house, but technically they're doing it lawfully since they're actually paying the people and moving in." Demyx added.

"Then anything else business related? I remembered that earlier I noticed a man waiting outside here, if I remember correctly he is the 'Pete's Construction' owner, who asked him up?"

"I did" Roxas' voice was cool and firm. Xemnas turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"_You_ called him up? What for?"

"I planned to get this done in our next meeting anyways, Superior, everyone present, I'm here to announce something I've found out recently. I discovered there were some fraud activities going on in Dusk Corporation." At that, those present began exchanges glances with each other. Roxas' voice became stronger "more specifically said, we found out there were some serious bribery going on. I've done my research, in the past five years we've given many projects to the Pete's Construction Company to do, and yet Pete's Construction is probably the most expensive out there. The person who has been giving out the projects is Xigbar Sethoro, Number II." A few eyes flickered to Xigbar, but he remained calm, staring intently at the younger male not far from him across the table.

"Upon further research, I found out that the company has been paying money to Number II for no reason whatsoever. By now, the amount of money is already in hundreds of millions, and they have all gone into Number II's own private account. The trend started from the very first time Number II gave the company the contracts to do Dusk Corporation's projects." Now the eyes grew more hostile, but the hostility wasn't serious yet.

"Xigbar" Xemnas addressed the man seriously "was there such a thing?"

"Superior," Xigbar answered "the amount of times we've given projects to Pete's Construction isn't something I remember clearly, but since Number XIII has researched so clearly, I'll take it as truth. Now, Dusk Corporation is a privately owned enterprise, so we decide for ourselves who to hire and who to make contracts with, regardless of expenses or the other party's experiences. In regards to my accepting of bribes, however, there is no such thing. I simply think Number XIII is setting me up."

Roxas' glare intensified, and he looked as if he was about to speak, but Lexaeus interrupted him. "Number II, I think there's just some misunderstanding here."

"I have _not_ misunderstood anything" Roxas snarled. "I personally met the owner of Pete's Construction. He personally admitted to me he has been giving money to you."

"Oh really?" The mock surprise on Xigbar's face was very obviously false "There was such a thing going on?"

"Superior, if we may, I'll like Pete to be let in"

Xemnas nodded, and Roxas quickly waved his hand. A whitish form emerged from the group and morphed into a man in a business suit, who silently went out of the room. Saix, meanwhile, began speaking to Axel.

"Number VIII, what is going on? XIII is under your supervision, I thought you would teach him better then this. We don't need more troubles happening here."

"My _apologies_, Number VII" the sarcasm couldn't have been more obvious "but I was not aware of such happenings" Axel shot Roxas a questioning look, but the boy refused to look at him.

"Number II, you're part of the trouble as well" Luxord stated "there is no reason for Number XIII to frame you or 'set you up', what have you done to receive such treatment?"

"Number X, it's probably only because Number XIII and I had some misunderstanding in the past." Roxas' eyes were blazing, but only Axel knew why Roxas was this angry. Hell, even he was angered, _some_ misunderstanding? What Xigbar did was something not even Axel can forgive. He kept quiet as the door opened and the man Roxas had summoned came in with Pete, Pete's Construction owner. Pete's rather muscular frame and messy clothing was a contrast to the formal clothing of the Organization Members, and as he sat down the difference couldn't be more obvious. The man Roxas had summoned closed the door, shutting himself off with it.

"Pete," Xigbar began "tell everyone whether or not I accepted any bribes from you."

"No, you haven't" Pete stated in a rather obvious manner. The shock on Roxas' face passed quickly, and the boy fired his own question.

"Pete, what are you saying?"

Saix took control of the conversation "Then did you, in front of this boy here, say you were giving bribes?"

"Yes"

"Then what is the truth?"

"That day, the kid met me at the library and told me to point out Mr. Sethoro as guilty, if I don't; he said he'll make sure I won't get anymore Dusk contracts. Under that type of pressure, and knowing the kid's influence here, I agreed with him. He tells me to say one, I won't say two."

"If that's so, why didn't you follow with this scheme?"

"I thought about it the whole night, these last few years, Mr. Sethoro's given me so many contracts, and does seem to care about my company's well-being. I can't just go around and backstab him, look kid, I'm sorry, but I can't be that cold hearted."

The fury in Roxas' eyes was impressively restrained, and Roxas' voice was not even that loud "you're lying! Why are you still helping him?! He forced you to pay him for the contracts during those last several years, isn't that enough for you?!"

"Calm down," Xaldin told the enraged boy, before turning to Pete "you may go now; our employee will escort you out." Pete nodded, bid the group goodbye, and left the room. There was a silence for a while, with the exception of Roxas' angered breathing. Then Xemnas spoke again.

"Is there anything else worth discussing while the rest of us are here?" Upon receiving no answer, he slowly stood up "then in that case, meeting adjourned. You may all leave now" The people began standing up and leaving the room. Demyx made to move to Roxas' side, but a hand clasped onto his shoulder, it was Xigbar.

"Number IX, it's been a while. You're older and more experienced now, just because of familial bonds, don't always be manipulated to other things and ruin the relationship between us, okay?" At that, Demyx's eyes narrowed and he pushed Xigbar's hand away. It was rare for Demyx to be angry, but right now, he was.

"I am _not_ being manipulated, whether you've done it or not you know it yourself!"

"That's enough!" Saix snapped as he returned to the almost-empty room. "Number II, it's decided, sign that contract with Thunder Company instead of Pete's Construction."

"Excuse me?" Xigbar snarled. "Thunder? I thought we agreed on Pete's!"

"We did, but in light of recent events, Number XII has convinced the Superior to sign with Thunder instead. He has agreed to, so you are to sign with them, then send a copy to all departments. Number IX, you don't have any other obligation here, you can leave now." Normally Demyx would have protested, he believed Roxas, and knew that Xigbar was just the type of person to accept bribes or force others to pay him for contracts. Knowing he couldn't do anything irritated him, so the water controller left the room angrily. Xigbar followed, in a calmer but obviously agitated manner. Once alone, Saix looked at their youngest member coolly "for something as big as fraud, why didn't you tell one of the more experienced members?"

"Like any of you will help me" Roxas knew what Saix was hinting at, but he refused to go in that direction.

"Something like this should be dealt with professionally, not while you're obsessed with your little grudge"

"_Little_ grudge?" Roxas stood up and glared at Saix, a daring move, but he didn't care. "You know _nothing_ about my grudge, so don't act like you do. As for my obsessing over it, don't you think I'm actually doing Dusk a favour, getting someone like him out? What's wrong with getting rid of a dishonest worker, employer or no?"

"Stop acting like a child"

"I said I'm not doing this due to personal feelings!"

"For whatever reason you have, I won't argue with you, but doing this only hurts your chances, as well as those close to you, of getting a good position in Dusk Corporation. Number IX has just returned, and will no doubt support you all the way through; with the way you are acting you'll only ruin his chances of re-establishing his authority here."

"So now you're switching and accusing _me_ of wrong? You and I both know the type of person Number II, he'll try all sorts of dirty tricks just to get rid of blame and set another person up! This isn't the first time he's done something like this!" It was an effort for Roxas to keep his voice level, but he managed as he was getting too used to situations such as this "Don't think I'm just going to give up here, Number II has done many things, and one of those days I'll catch him and reveal everything!"

"Since you're so enraged right now, I won't argue with you."

"You mean you don't want to get in odds with me" The bitter smile on Roxas' face did not match his previous outburst "after all, if you do, there goes the chance I'll tell the Superior to give you even _more_ favors. You're not that different from Axel, or Xigbar, all of you just want to use me for some motive." Saix didn't defend himself, and Roxas knew he wouldn't, because in the end it was the truth. Without bidding a goodbye, Roxas walked around the blue haired man and stormed out. He walked along the quiet corridor, still angry, and the sudden voice did not help.

"You, Number XIII" Xigbar's voice was mocking, and so was his smile. Roxas stopped in his tracks as the other man approached and began slowly circling him.

"For someone like you, who bear a human head but a pig's brain, to go against me, is a hopeless cause. Don't think, just because you have Number VIII and IX on your side, or even the occasional time the Superior will go along with your schemes, that you can start having real worth in Dusk Corporation." A hand reached up and lightly caressed Roxas' face "One of them is still low in the ranks, and the other is even a bigger fool then you are." In response, Roxas slapped the hand away. That did nothing to stop the mocking smile to grow into a bigger sneer "I suggest you stop trying to interfere with the higher workings. Otherwise, do you still remember, that night on the parking lot?"

That got a stronger response, Roxas hand shot up, but his attempt to struck Xigbar was thwarted by Xigbar grabbing his hand "do you seriously dare!" the man laughed. "You dare try hitting me? If you dare try," his voice grew into a whisper, soft, but still cruel "I guarantee you that everyone in the Dusk Corporation buildings; will know the relationship between you and I." Roxas trembled in fury, and his breathing grew more labored. Xigbar's sneer was jeering, and as if to top it off, he mockingly blew a kiss to the younger male.

"_Bastard_," Roxas hissed. He wrenched out of Xigbar's grasp and stormed away, but he could still hear Xigbar's mocking laughter, following him like it had those last few years.

Once he was calmer, Xigbar went to the get some coffee. To his surprise, he saw somebody already there, someone else he didn't like. Larxene was pouring herself a glass of water, and she was alone without 'backup' at the moment. Sneering, Xigbar moved forward. "Excuse me, Number XII" the sarcasm was heavy, but Larxene only took a brief glance at him before moving away. She began sipping from the glass, subtly yet obviously showed her hostility by turning away from the man. Xigbar, however, wasn't letting that pass.

"For someone who's got herself such a powerful figure to back them up, you have to pour water for yourself?" The implication was obvious, and Larxene's grip on the glass tightened. Xigbar poured himself some coffee, and then turned to look at Larxene again. His eyes roamed over her body, taking in the slender form, and he tsked. "I'll admit, you do look good if you want to, almost model material" like he had done earlier with Roxas, he began circling around her, and he continued "of course you have to be. You've got the Superior wrapped around your finger." From behind her, he leaned in close, lightly brushing her neck. Larxene reacted much quicker then Roxas did, a hand shot out and shoved Xigbar away from her. She didn't try anything else, the blond was well aware of the difference in rank, and to try anything against Xigbar would get her into more trouble then she could handle. The man smirked at her, as if aware of her thoughts.

"What's the matter, throwing a tantrum?" The smirk was still there, but rather then give in the urge to punch it Larxene returned a smirk of her own.

"You're the one throwing a tantrum, after all, I did ruin your plans with Pete" a surge of satisfaction welled inside her at the outraged look in the man's eyes, and her smirk widened. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to have to take my leave, the Superior wanted to hear my opinions of how things are going in Traverse Town." She was rubbing in his face her increasing influence on the Superior's decision, and they both knew it. Larxene was sure her words will get the man to shut up, but Number II was all to ready to give another verbal attack.

"Tell me," the man smirked "just how much money did the Superior give you? You must have a price" Now the smirk dropped from Larxene's face, and it was her turn to have outraged eyes. Xigbar slammed his cup onto the counter, and then reached inside his jacket. "If the Superior can buy you," he drew out a thick amount of cash "I can buy you as well." Selecting a certain amount, Xigbar began throwing the money at Larxene's face. "Two thousand! Three thousand! Is that enough?" Larxene said nothing, and Xigbar continued.

"A million!" He threw the next amount "Two million!" The paper money fluttered around them like some mockery of snow or leaves in the autumn. Xigbar could see the offense Larxene had taken; his implications had seriously wounded her pride. Xigbar replaced his smirk on his face "this is all you're worth." Larxene didn't speak, and unlike Roxas she didn't try to slap him, instead she grabbed her water filled glass. Once again, Xigbar overpowered his opponent.

"Do you seriously want that!" Larxene froze in her actions, the glass just in front of Xigbar's face. "If you dare try to splash that on me, I guarantee you that you won't be able to step one foot out of this room. So go on," he was enjoying that enraged look in her eyes "go on, splash me, or just try pouring it. I dare you, go on" He waited, but Larxene didn't move. Obviously she was reminded of not only the difference in rank, but also in power. Sneering, he leaned close to her, and gave her one of his favorite phrases.

"You want to go against Organization Number II Xigbar Sethoro?" He let out a laugh at the ludicrous idea "you're not even up to the level." Still sneering, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving a fuming Larxene and his littered cash behind. Once he was gone, Larxene slammed her glass on the table. Water splashed out and onto the counter, soaking one of the thousand dollar bills nearby. She seethed quietly, hating it all.

Then she let out a soft breath, and her anger disappeared. In place of where her anger had burned, a cold and calculating look passed over her features. She looked at the doorway where Xigbar had disappeared from, and spoke to the empty room "Xigbar Sethoro, Number II, it was you who forced me to get rid of you first."

At another part of the building, Marluxia moved into an empty office and looked around. Although Marluxia was technically living and working in Traverse Town, all Organization members had first started in Dusk Corporation's Head Office, and as a result all of them had their own office in the building. By now, his resembled more of a florist shop, but the usual furniture of desk, chair, and computer remained present. He stood by the large window and took a deep breath, enjoying the peace for now, but it didn't last. The doors flew open with a bang and Vexen walked in. Marluxia was unaffected and simply addressed Vexen's reflection on the window.

"The next time you come in, please knock."

"Marluxia, what the hell are you planning?" The taller man demanded. Marluxia's eyes narrowed and he turned to look at the scientist.

"Don't talk to me in that tone, Vexen, higher or lower rank means naught, disrespect is not something I tolerate." Vexen was not daunted.

"Why the sudden interest in Castle Oblivion's workings, especially a branch in a city unrelated to you? You have no connection to Twilight Town, why do you want to go there?"

"Does it matter to you?" Marluxia asked coldly.

"What are you planning!? I won't let you get away with it!"

"Oh _really_?" Marluxia fully turned to face the other man and walked forward. Vexen was taller, forcing Marluxia to look up at him when they were close enough, but with the way the conversation went it seemed as if Marluxia was the one in control.

"Can you really? Are you _sure_ you want to interfere? Don't forget, Vexen, _I_ hold certain material over you, you can't go against me without risking yourself!" Vexen's eyes narrowed at Marluxia's threatening tone. The other smirked as he stepped back and subtly lifted a hand. Several flowers grew and coiled forward, their vine-like structure lightly brushing against the two men in the room. They were slow and almost gentle, almost like relaxed snakes, but Vexen knew they were Marluxia's counter in case the older male decided to attack. Knowing that a fight in Marluxia's office will make him appear to be the aggressive one, Vexen shoved his urge to attack down.

Marluxia's smirk never left his face as he sat onto his desk. Not even properly on the chair _behind_ it, Marluxia was sitting _on_ the desk, so that he could move quicker if the need arises. "Vexen, it will be best for your well being not to offend me or go against me. Roxas may not be able to prove Xigbar's suspicious activities, but I, on the other hand, have proof of _your_ activities."

The reminder slammed into Vexen as if Marluxia had shoved it at him, and Vexen gritted his teeth. He _knew_, he knew he shouldn't have done it, but he had needed the money. When business under his authority went bad and he was forced into a corner, he was unwilling to go to the Superior or other Organization members for help, and as a result he had 'edited' several important financial papers to get the required loans. He had hidden the evidence well, and it was really pure luck Marluxia had discovered his fraud-like activities. Rather then turn the evidence over to the Organization or police, Marluxia had turned it into his advantage: Blackmail. Now, if Marluxia wanted something, Vexen was forced to give or help him.

To Marluxia's credit, his requests were not that outrageous. The younger male did not demand for large amounts of money or force Vexen into anything that might hurt business, but the things Marluxia did ask for were, to say the least, rather suspicious at times. In fact, Vexen was sure Marluxia must be involved in something that should not be made public as well, but Number XI was clever enough to keep Vexen from knowing anything solid. Nor were brains the only reason for Vexen's inability to do anything.

Vexen was aware of Marluxia readjusting himself on the desk, the fabric of his clothing pulled taut against slender legs, and the frequent smirk on Marluxia's _almost_ innocent face. The flowers surrounding him gave an image of beauty and purity, false, but it had the effect. Vexen felt his anger rising, knowing that the florist was taunting him, sitting in that type of position and smirking that type of smirk. At the same time, Vexen was aware of another feeling rising inside of him, lust, pure unsatisfied lust, lust that they were both too aware of.

Whether Marluxia returned the sentiment was unknown, for he never gave any indication. Yet he was aware of the scientist's desire for him, and there had already been times he had purposely teased the older male, just to see when the cold man would break. So far, he hasn't, but Marluxia could see the control slipping; like now, for instance.

Before Vexen realized what he was doing, he found himself lunging forward and pinning the other male's wrists against the window. He mentally thanked the fact that they were quite high up and no one would see this, as he was all too aware of the consequences if they were seen. For by the time he realized what he was doing, Vexen found himself already leaning too close to Marluxia's personal space. The whole time, Marluxia never lost his smirk.

"Something wrong, Vexen?"

Vexen's desires clashed at those words, and he was all too aware of what they were. One side wanted him to kiss the younger male, but the other wanted to kill him. At the corner of his eyes he noticed the flowers and other plants shifting, almost agitated, but to his surprise Marluxia didn't order them to attack him. In fact, Marluxia was being surprisingly submissive, offering no resistance to Vexen's attempt to regain control over the lower-ranked Organization member. There was no sarcastic or mocking remark from those lips, lips that he had wanted to taste for so long…

"I understand that the window was made to withstand bullets, Vexen, but I don't think it can withstand our combined weight."

The mocking tone in that melodious voice was back, and Vexen quickly wondered whether Number XI had been spending too much time with IX. After all, it was a well known fact that Demyx had a good voice. As he mulled over this, he realized that some of the plants had already grown and reached for him. Now they lightly coiled around his feet, wrapped around his waist, tugged at his sleeves. Though the movements were light at the moment, the scientist knew that if the plant controller wished it, the plants could easily rip him apart and away from their master. Vexen was aware he still had Marluxia's wrists pinned down, but that hadn't stopped the younger male from showing his control of the situation. Almost reluctantly, the taller man stepped back, releasing his captive free. Marluxia straightened his clothes before speaking.

"You may leave now, Number IV"

It took all of Vexen's already cracked self-restraint to resist from lashing out and attacking the younger man in front of him. The dismissal, and the formal addressing, was enough for him to lose control again. The _monster_ side of him was going to be set free if things continued like this and he'll probably end up doing something he might but maybe not regret later. He hated his current situation, hated the blackmail that Marluxia now hold over his head, hated Marluxia for the control he now had. What he wouldn't give now to pin him down on the table and hurt him until…

He felt light pressure on his lips, and his eyes widened.

Marluxia pulled back and gave the scientist a mocking smile "I believe both of us have work to do, preferably alone, if you may…" and the indication to the door was obvious.

**(1) This is all about the meeting they were ordered to have in Chapter Thirteen _Traitorous_  
(2) ****Marlbeg and Devirni are anagrams of 'Gambler' and 'Diviner'  
(3) ****This is the last name of Demyx's voice actor  
(4) Hence why when Wakka woke up he was uninjured in Chapter Twelve _YOU ALL FALL DOWN  
_(5) An echo of what Reno once said to Cloud regarding the Fujiwara brothers' relationship in Chapter Eleven _Ashes Ashes_ **

**Focus on Organization XIII for this chapter. ****I'm no business person nor am I planning to take any courses in that field, so some of the things happening here might not apply to real life, and remember to also consider the laws of your country/state in the definition of fraud. By the way, just to let you know, I probably won't be updating for the month of May, that's when my IB exams are.**

**I'm g****oing to die when I have to write an essay in French…it was bad enough I had to memorize one for my French Oral Examination, and now I have to write one? I'm so dead…**

**And I just realized now I have no Chapter Eighteen Promotion Anime****, I really am falling apart due to stress. **


	19. In Remembrance of the Past

**IB exams are OVER!! FREEDOM!!!! Now to stop overanalyzing everything for the Provincial Exams…**

**In this chapter, we have the introduction of a real traitor**

**Previously****: After years of separation, Roxas and Demyx reunite at the Organization Meeting, before Roxas tries to prove that Xigbar is involved in Fraud activities. He ultimately fails as the sly businessman outwits him. The meeting's topics also include the Guado's movements, Twilight Town's Castle Oblivion being 'haunted' (which Marluxia volunteers to investigate), and Kairi (Namine's "other half"). Saix attempts to give Roxas advice, but the boy knows that he, like Axel and Xigbar, only wants to use him. He leaves and is confronted by Xigbar, who mocks Roxas' ability and makes a reference to a deep grudge between them. Xigbar then meets up with Larxene, who has shown considerable influence on Xemnas' decisions, and implies that she is 'selling' herself in exchange for favors, much to Larxene's fury. Meanwhile, Vexen demands to know about Marluxia's plans, but the younger male reminds him of the blackmail he has and stops Vexen from learning anything important. **

"How are you feeling?"

"Riku, talk about asking a stupid question! What do _you_ think?"

"Well, forgive me for showing a little concern for my subordinates."

"That better not be only what you see me as, ow!"

"Hold still, Medium or not, it looks like a pretty good bite."

"Remind me to never annoy Yuffie again when she gets out…"

"_If_ she gets out" Riku hissed, and Tidus, sensing the built-up anger's potential to be released, shut up.

As planned, the group had followed Selphie to Yuffie's cell in an attempt for the Medium to peer into the werewolf's mind and see what she had been hiding from them. They had expected Yuffie to resist, but they hadn't calculated the sheer will she had. Despite the seals, Yuffie had done it: broken out of them. For some reason she had several counter-spells ready, and just when they thought the seals had caused her to fall asleep and ready for Tidus' mind probe, she had sprang up and sank her wolverine teeth through Tidus' skin.

The rest of the seals came at an unbelievable rate. Before they knew it, metal spikes resembling her shuriken exploded along the cell wall and surged to Yuffie's captors. They managed to dodge all the attacks, but were forced out of her cell. Now, they were trapped out of Yuffie's cell, and she was trapped inside.

Leon's response had been a simple "well that was brilliant."

Riku had ordered a few vampires to start clearing a path through. In the meantime, they were now in Selphie's room, discussing events.

"From that reaction," Selphie was saying "it's pretty much guaranteed that she has something to hide; whatever relation she had with the Undefined Vampire –"

"_Jenova_ Vampire"

"– Jenova Vampire is quite serious. We can guess that she was either aware of their presence the whole time and supported it, or have helped them recently. Lord Riku, I suggest making sure we find out what she has been hiding as soon as we can."

"I agree with her" Leon turned to Riku, and the Vampire Lord nodded.

"I, too, am interested to see what has been going on behind my back. At the next opportunity, we will question her" with that, he switched to passing out orders "Tidus, find Zexion and tell him of recent events, while you're at it ask him about Yuffie's record. Leon, you are to tell the rest of the vampires about the Jenova Vampire issue. From what Tidus say, the leader of the Jenova Vampires has long silver hair, alert the vampires on patrol duty. Selphie, as you were formerly in charge of Yuffie, you are to keep a watch on the clearing progress, alert us when the process is completed or if the werewolf has done something drastic."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Zell, look here"

"Kadaj? What is it?"

"Look"

"Hey, they're shooting a movie! Awesome! Any famous actors here?"

"There's that child protégé Nicholas, along with the famous pair Aurora and Philip **(1)**, there's several other actors resting at the side, but those three are acting at the moment with a few background characters."

"Hey Yazoo, know what movie this is?"

"Unfortunately, I don't, though judging by the graveyard setting, I can assume it's a science-fiction or horror movie."

"Let's watch for a while" Zell grinned.

The two Jenova Vampires and one normal vampire settled down at a good distance away from the area where a movie was being filmed. They watched as the child, Nicholas, deliver an elaborate speech about promising to cleanse the world of vampires, before drawing a sword. He moved forward with another actor at his side, before with a strong gust of wind (made with a fan at the side) an inhumane shriek pierced the air. A figure emerged from behind a gravestone, snarling, hissing and baring false vampire teeth, a redhead that both Yazoo and Kadaj recognized easily.

"Well what have we here…?" Kadaj smirked, and glanced at his brother, whose indifferent eyes grew attentive as they watched the former Turk threw his head to the side and hissed through clenched fangs. Nicholas displayed a look of shock, before exclaiming a false name that was no doubt Reno's character. In response, the redhead stretched over the gravestone and flexed his fingers, which had claws attached to them, before springing at the child actor. The boy brought up his sword, blocking the attack, and Reno jumped back, still hissing and baring his fangs.

"He's playing vampire" Yazoo's lips curled into an amused smirk "an interesting choice"

"Hum?" Zell glanced at his friends "you two know the actor?"

"I only knew him briefly" Kadaj explained, "Yazoo, on the other hand…" Zell looked at Yazoo, and a chill suddenly shot through his body at the expression on Yazoo's face. The smile on Yazoo's face was malicious, and his eyes carried a cruel delight that Zell had never seen before. As if aware of Zell's eyes on him, Yazoo switched to a more peaceful expression.

"Ah, Zell…forgive me, I got carried away by a few memories." He smiled at Zell, reassuring, convincing, and Zell trustingly believed him. Kadaj was smiling a similar reassuring smile, and Zell allowed the matter to drop. After all, he reasoned that the two silver haired men had no reason to hurt him. He turned to continue watching the actors, but another voice caught his attention.

"Good _evening_, Zell Dincht"

The voice was one he hadn't heard for years, but he recognized it quickly. Shocked, he turned around, hoping he was mistaken, but reality was there to confirm his fears.

Blond hair just slightly different from his own, eyes that burned and consumed, a smirk that showed power and arrogance, and that scar across his face, a mirror of the Commander's own.

Seifer Almasy.

Zell was aware that Yazoo and Kadaj was still at his side, but the words slipped out before he could stop them "what are you doing here?" he demanded. "You're exiled! Get out of this city!"

"I was _banished_, and only for a certain amount of time" Seifer replied. "Riku can't do anything against me now that my sentence has expired." His eyes went over to the two silver-haired brothers at Zell's side, and determine that they were humans. Knowing he shouldn't say anything suspicious, he addressed Zell again "I have business that requires me to see Riku again, and I'll like you to accompany me there, as going by myself can cause unnecessary trouble."

"What type of business?"

"Surely you don't expect me to tell you?" In response to those words, Zell allowed himself a small smirk.

"Things have changed since you left, _I_ have changed as well. I am now part of the elite force, and Riku himself has allowed me into what would have been classified information to the others. Despite what you may say or think about my capabilities, I am now arguably part of Riku's Inner Circle. In fact, right now you have no authority over me, and I can refuse obeying your orders."

"Honestly I don't believe Riku made the right choice" Seifer smirked as he saw Zell's temper rising "but I'm not even going to bother arguing with you, as any chance of getting into a proper debate with people like you would be pointless. Very well then, I am someone who wants a formal audience from Riku, and as a result you, as his subordinate and servant, are obliged to take me to him."

Zell mentally came up with several responses, the majority of which involved swearing at the vampire in front of him, but with Yazoo and Kadaj beside him Zell didn't want to cause a scene. So grudgingly he nodded, before turning to his silver haired friends and apologizing for his necessary sudden departure. With that settled, he led Seifer away, and as he walked he mentally contacted his superior.

_Lord Riku, Seifer Almasy wishes for a formal audience_

There was a pause, and Zell wondered whether Riku heard him at all, but he soon heard a reply.

_I see…his sentence has just expired, and now he wishes to see us once more? Very well, take him to the Medium's mansion__ for now._

_You do not want to hear thi__s at the skyscraper?_

_Zell, you and I both know the reason he was exiled, I am not going to trust him so quickly, nor do I see the need to give him audience immediately. _

_Understand, my lord._

Zell began leading the vampire to Sunset Street, but it wasn't long before Seifer noticed it. "While there have been many changes since I've last been in this city, chicken-wuss, I am pretty sure the location of the vampires will not have changed. Where exactly are you taking me?"

"To the Medium's home"

"What?!"

"You are to wait there until my lord deems it is time to see you."

"What are you implying? I want to see Riku _now_, not at his convenience." Zell's eyes narrowed and he whirled around.

"Just exactly who do you think you are, Seifer Almasy? You no longer hold rank in Traverse Town's vampires; you are no longer the Vampire Commander! I'll let you know that your dear _Squall_ has taken that post from you already! Fujin and Raijin have both moved on without you and improved! Selphie, too, has moved up the ranks, right now to us, you're no more then a traitor who do not deserve to return here!"

Zell was always the fiery type, and talked more then he thought. He realized too late that the words pouring from his mouth was asking for a confrontation, and with Seifer, another hot head, of all people. As soon as those words escaped his lips, Seifer immediately brought up his gunblade and pointed it at Zell's forehead.

"You forget who you're speaking to, _Zell_" the vampire growled "whatever rank I have lost, however far I may fall, one fact does not change, and that is you were once _my_ fledging. Riku is your lord, and he may have cut off all bonds between us since my exile, but I am your master. You may no longer be a fledging, we may no longer depend on each other, but that doesn't change the bond between us. Now," he pressed the gunblade deeper onto Zell's skin "take me to where Riku is right now."

"Are you mad?" Zell snarled, anger lacing his words "you won't get anywhere using force, Seifer! We've recovered from your betrayal and assault, and the werewolves are growing stronger then ever. If you try another attack, I guarantee you that you will fail!"

"I am also aware of Riku's new weakness, his fledging" Seifer growled "listen, Zell, I meant it when I say I have business with him. Take me to Riku right now, go!" A shove with the blunt end of the gunblade, and however unwilling Zell was, Seifer got his way.

At the skyscraper, Sora walked down the elegant stairway leading to the first floor. Around him, vampires and werewolves went about with their own business, occasionally nodding to him respectfully. As he watched, he saw a blond male muttering and swearing at the side. As he got closer, Sora's vampiric hearing picked up the words "…and of course Yuffie will resist as much…damn it all…should I get her out of there…? They have Cloud too….why am I talking to myself…? Where the hell is Vincent when you need him…?" The man spotted Sora and stopped his muttering. Rather, he indicated his head respectfully "what can I do for you, kid? Can't take too long, though, I have guard duty next"

"Guard duty?" Sora repeated "you just stand around watch for happenings?"

"Something like that, pretty boring job, and today is my shift to go sit and watch monitors for a few hours. Why, you interested?"

Sora shrugged "I have nothing better to do at the moment, Riku's not here, and it doesn't seem dangerous or require me going outside, why not?"

"Well, I suppose letting you come is no problem, its really boring though so you can leave anytime you want, this way" Cid led Sora down to another room and knocked on the door. A vampire stepped out, exchanged greetings with Cid, nodded respectfully at Sora, and left. Sora steeped inside and saw a high wall literally covered with monitors. A table, speaker, and a few chairs appeared to be the only other furniture in the room. Though the chair and table appeared comfortable, the televisions remain the stereotypical poor quality. "It's not that necessary," Cid explained "our stronger kindred can sense a foreign presence anytime, and when you add in our Medium who can sense a hostile force approaching the _city_ from where he lives, we don't actually need these security measures. Riku's no fool though; these recordings can play important roles in solving cases and it's a sense of security for the rest of us weaker folk." He let out a snort.

"It's boring for whoever is having their shift here though, anyone who isn't part of the elite force – with a few exceptions like that unsent Auron for example – have to go through several hours staring at screens that shows next to nothing interesting. SEED will at least get to go out and make rounds."

Sora was staring at the screens over Cid's shoulder. As the man was facing him, his back was to the monitors, but Sora could see them. The spiky haired boy coughed and looked at Cid strangely "you want something interesting? I think you've got it, take a look at screen 19." Cid turned around and gave a start.

"What the…" he swore fiercely, before slamming on the speaker. "All occupants present! Zell Dincht, SEED vampire, is returning, but is currently being hold at gunpoint by Seifer Almasy, former Vampire Commander and exile! They are coming from the front doors!" Right after the announcement, Sora heard rushing footsteps outside the room. Cid turned him "well, fledging, you may come with us, but I think it'll be best if you retreat to safety quickly." The werewolf hurried out, and despite his words Sora wasted no time in following.

The front doors opened, and Zell walked in, Seifer right behind him with the gunblade pressed behind Zell's head. Several vampires and werewolves gather forward, weapons posed and ready. All, however, were not attacking as they knew that it could endanger Zell, and nobody wanted to anger Riku by causing an avoidable death of a SEED vampire. Zell was also one of the more beloved vampires of the force, having no enemy or rival (with the exception of Selphie when it comes to their prank war), and no one wanted him gone anytime soon.

"Drop you weapons!" Seifer roared at Riku's forces, and their decision was decided not because of the hostage, but because of their lord.

"All of you heard him, drop your weapons." Riku's voice carried over them. The Vampire Lord was approaching them, flanked by several important people: the Medium Tidus, the Vampire Commander Leon, and SEED vampire Selphie. Sora watched as the vampires cleared a path for him, and several slowly dropped their weapons, but not all.

"Riku," the sole Ronso in the group and city still had his weapon ready "Almasy here has killed several vampires and werewolves, and the things he put us through…."

"It's meaningless to shed any blood here now" Riku answered "and we all know that everything isn't completely his fault, that was the reason I exiled instead of killed him. As for that sentence, it has expired and he has a right to return. There is zero gain for us in killing Seifer now. He knew the consequences of returning, expired sentence or no, but he willingly came alone without backup. There is obviously something important going on, and his coming with the risk of being killed on sight is something we should at least respect. Unless, of course, it was pure stupidity on his side, but as his former lord I know him well enough to be anything other then stupid. Anyways, pointing a weapon at a guest is just plain rude. Don't make me say it again, drop your weapons."

"…very well" slowly, those present lowered their weapons. Seifer spared them a brief smirk before returning attention to Riku.

"Well said, my former lord" slowly, he withdrew his gunblade, and Zell quickly moved away to the side. "So everything went as you believed it would?" Several vampires and werewolves blinked, not understanding what the blond was saying. Riku, however, did.

"Yes, though I didn't expect you to come all the way here about it. I'll say this though Seifer, thanks to you, I have been able to greatly narrow my search for Her." Seifer's eyes blazed in anger. The gunblade shot forward, this time pointed to Riku. Reacting quickly, the rest of the vampires and werewolves seized their weapon and pointed them at Seifer, but he ignored them, focusing solely on the Vampire Lord.

"Riku, former lord or no, _I am not some tool for you to use to solve the mystery_!" His increased volume caused the others to tense, and even Sora flinched, but Riku remain undaunted.

"Don't make me repeat myself, lower you weapons. As for you, Seifer, if you really wanted to…" the silver haired boy spread out his hands "shoot me, shoot." The others stared in shock, and Sora couldn't help joining in and staring at his lord and master in disbelief. Seifer's grip on the gunblade tightened, his eyes narrowed, as if focusing on the target and preparing a shot…

And a girl with silver hair suddenly moved forward. She placed herself in the path of the gunblade, in front of Riku, and looked at Seifer in the eye. Seifer's eyes widened in surprise as she laid a hand on the gunblade, and even Riku looked as if he didn't expect this latest development. Unflinchingly, the girl spoke to the other blond "NO."

"Seifer," It was Tidus who spoke, but he was looking at the girl "What Fujin is trying to tell you is this: if you kill Riku right now, then even if you succeed in finding Her, it will be meaningless. If you do any harm to our lord, we will be forced to kill you."

"NO HESITATION" She added. Tidus continued for her.

"What good is there in both of you dying? That will only make Her happy." For a while nobody said anything, judging by the expressions on the group's faces Sora guessed the majority of them had no idea what was going on. Seifer, Fujin and Tidus didn't move, in fact they appeared to be daring the other to.

"Heh," it was Seifer who moved first, he lowered the gunblade and placed it at his side. "They're right, Riku, as usual. Peering into other people's minds and feeling their emotions all the time have made you wise, hasn't it?" Tidus said nothing to those words, but finally glanced over his shoulder at Riku. The vampire moved his hand, and the Medium obeyed the order to step aside. Fujin did the same, moving to where Raijin was standing. Seifer turned back to Riku "I've come to reclaim Her jewellery, and anything else you still have of Them."

"Yes, but why are you sure that I have anything left? Most of the things were destroyed."

"People are selfish and greedy creatures, I am confident there is something that still remains of her. Specifically her jewellery, which sometimes contains their own powers, and therefore I am sure even you will keep them." The next action was obvious, Seifer smirked and raised a hand, one finger stretched out and pointed at Riku's own hand, which bore a black ring with a purple and green line **(2)**.

"Yes, I thought so; I no longer need this piece of jewellery anyways" Riku pulled the ring off his finger and tossed it to the blond, who quickly caught it. "I can tell you that no other artefact of Hers under my knowledge still exist, as I personally made sure that they were all destroyed."

"I see" Seifer looked up from the ring and stared at Riku. There was a pause before he continued "but just because She's not here doesn't mean She isn't continuing her tricks. While I was living as an exile, I received news that she has made a 'donation' to Traverse Town's Museum. Supposedly she has sent a sort of holy artefact in, something strong enough to defeat vampires. It is some type of hyper-sensitive sacred stone rumoured to have been responsible for the end of several important supernatural figures."

"Where is the stone?"

"At the moment its being secretly transported, soon it will be at Traverse Town Museum."

"What can you tell me about this stone?"

"I'm not willingly to tell you anything, actually" At those words, several eyes narrowed at Seifer, though Riku's expression remained carefully blank.

"I see, but why not?"

"I never wanted to give you any information; I only gave you the warning as a payment of sorts for Her ring. After all, I'm under no obligation to tell you anything since I am no longer your subordinate and you are no longer my lord, unlike before…" The wording of it said enough for those present in those room, and Zell voiced it out.

"What?! How dare you! You think traitors like you will be let into the clan so easily again after you…!"

"Zell" Riku's calm voice stopped the vampire from verbally attacking their 'guest'. Addressing Seifer again, he asked "How can you make me trust you?" At those words, Tidus moved forward to the vampire again. He glanced at Riku, who nodded. The Medium approached the blond vampire held out his hands, palms facing down. Seifer held up his own hands, palms upward, and held them under the Medium's. Tidus looked straight into the vampire's eyes as a faint blue light pulsed and escaped from his hands, weaving life ribbons around Seifer's and curling around the vampire's body.

"I promise never to interfere with your rulings, I swear never again to take the life of your subordinates or those under your care, I pledge to serve you to the best of my ability, and give up everything – including my life – to protect you. What's more, I promise to tell you all I know of the stone, a threat as great as the Guado's presence here, and help you fight against it."

"Yes," Tidus replied "You speak truthfully and honestly….for now." The light faded away, and Tidus stepped back. Seifer looked at Riku, who's face remain passive and blank.

"Very well," there were several gasps and whispers at Riku's quick decision, but then again, many expected it as soon as Tidus confirmed Seifer's integrity. "Let us see what you make of your second chance with us, Seifer Almasy. However, you will be treated as a newcomer still, and while I will return your SEED status to you, you will not be its Commander, nor will you have all the authority you once had. If anything, you will be treated as if you're a strong newcomer, respected and feared, but not trusted or loved."

"The status is enough for me, my Lord"

"Will you hold any grudge against your Commander or those of higher rank?"

"I promise not to let them interfere with my duty"

"Then let us go through the bonding ceremony, come with me" Riku then turned to the rest of his subjects "The rest of you, continue with your duties. Tidus, come with me for the ceremony. As for the witness…Auron, come" The vampire, Medium, and Unsent escorted Riku out of the place as the rest of the vampires and werewolves left. Sora followed Cid back to the monitors.

"Who was that?"

"You mean the newcomer?"

"Yes"

"Seifer Almasy, ex-Vampire Commander, former – and once again – SEED, one of the strongest vampires here; but a traitor as well. Look kid, I can't tell you, nobody likes to talk about it, Riku himself decreed the subject taboo."

"It was that bad?"

"Yes, what he did really proved the weakness of Riku's forces. It really hit Riku hard, and…well, the incident changed him. Believe it not, kid, Riku was once one of those kids who would make you smile. Now…well, you know better then anyway what he's like. We all blame the change on Seifer and his conspirators."

"And who is this 'She' they keep talking about? What's so special about her jewellery?"

"That, I don't know the whole story clearly but…well, its not something you ask."

"Why not? She seems like a really important person, and judging by the way they talked, I don't think she's someone dead."

"You're right, She's not exactly dead, but no one knows for sure if you can call her living either. Look, She isn't someone I know a lot of, okay? I just know Seifer's traitorous actions, but not enough about Her herself. Don't ask, the name is taboo as well."

**(1) Despite their names, there's no significance in role here, I'm ****simply throwing in some Sleeping Beauty reference  
(2) ****This was briefly mentioned in Chapter Nine **_**Ring Around a Rosie**_

**Cookies for those who can guess who 'she' is! Though I think it's rather obvious…**

**Wow, I wrote all of that in one sitting, not bad! I swear I literally forgot food and drink when I started writing this! For the whole month all I did was STUDY DTUDY STUDY. Can you believe that the IB History exam was the same one in 2005? Now the IB examiners are saying they're going to scale it because they think we might have read the old exams before online. I think I've failed my IB French exam as well; I did NOT get the Reading Comprehension. Hell, I did easier on the ESSAY, writing an essay in French is apparently easier then reading something and answering questions. That is sad. **

**On a random note, my icon now says 'Know what's sad? I know more about Harry Potter then American History' (Found it on Facebook). I may be Canadian, but IB History dictates that I study American history as well. It's sad that the icon speaks the truth, not just with Harry Potter, but a whole lot of other entertainment fields (Ex. Kingdom Hearts). **

**Promotion is due to me reading the manga before starting the story. It's the scene where Seifer points his gunblade at Zell's head and forces him to take him to Riku, prompting a close call to a gunfight, only to have Riku order a stop and Fujin to stand in front of the gun and talk him out of it. It's from DeathNote, when Mello forces Hally to take him to Near's headquarters. Near orders the SPK to drop their guns, talks with Mello, infuriates him and Mello points the gun again, only to have Hally step between and convince him to put the gun away. Whereas Mello left, I made Seifer stay; he's needed for the next arc in this story. **

**Chapter ****Nineteen Promotion Anime: DeathNote **


	20. Heart of Stone

**I WENT THROUGH THE VALEDICTORY CEREMONY! I HAVE NOW OFFICIALLY GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL!!!! WHOA!!! **

**University of British Columbia, AKA the prestigious UBC, here I come! Kelowa campus, so I'll be leaving my family to experience TRUE University life. **

**Previously****: After biting Tidus and preventing him from looking into her mind, Yuffie sets off a series of seals that locked everyone out of her cell. Yazoo, Kadaj, and Zell sees a movie in making and Reno playing vampire, much to Yazoo's amusement. Seifer Almasy, former exile and ex-SEED Commander, interrupts and demands Zell takes him to Riku. Zell refuses, but Seifer uses force to make Zell take him to the skyscraper, where a fight nearly occurs with the rest of the SEED. Riku orders them to stop, and when he unintentionally triggered Seifer's anger Fujin interferes on Riku's behalf. Seifer warns Riku of a dangerous stone sent by 'Her' to Traverse Town, before indirectly asking to return to Riku's clan. After another mind probe, Tidus deems Seifer temporally trustworthy, and Riku allows the former exile back into his forces. **

"Long term consumption and you will be guaranteed that she will die"

Martin looked at the beautiful young woman in front of him. Karen's smile was sly and coy, just the way he had loved it. She placed her hand on his chest and trailed downward "get rid of her, get the insurance, and we'll be together and rich."

"You sure this will work?" He asked.

"Yes," the woman breathed heavily as she pressed the small bottle in his hand. "Tell her its vitamins or something, say it's to prepare her for your child or whatnot, coming from you; she'll take them, no questions asked. One or two tablets won't work, but if she keeps taking it…her body will die. Guadosalam is filled with many plants and herbs; we can always blame something else if the need arises. What's important is that you get rid of her and get the money."

Martin took the bottle with one hand, while the other grabbed her around the waist and pulled her closer to him "You think of everything, _dear_."

"Yes, I finally got this. With this poison, tonight, we can finally get rid of that annoying girl!" Martin smirked at her gleeful voice.

A few hours later, he returned to his home. Kairi smiled gently at him, he could see the barely-contained misery in her eyes, no doubt the result of being left alone with his mother. She was always the good one though, and would try to tolerate his hateful mother. He would be putting her out of her misery soon.

Taking her into his arms, he embraced her with false tenderness before giving her the bottle of tablets. He charmed her into taking them, telling her he wanted her to be healthy so that they could live a long life together, maybe with a child or a pet as well. As expected, Kairi believed him, her smile innocent and her eyes bright with hopes of their future – a future she would never see.

Martin almost felt sorry for her, almost.

What he didn't know was that, the next day when he left for work, his mother nearly had a heart attack. Kairi, trying to be helpful, decided Martin's medicine was more needed for seniors. As a result, the poison was passed onto Martin's mother instead, and Kairi never tasted the poison all.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"_Squall, please eat something now." _

_The scarred face man looked up to see Selphie standing in front of him, a tray of food in her hands. She was tired, there were bags under her eyes, and her posture was no longer as energetic as before. Squall looked at the food, it was his favourite, but he only turned his head away and hunched deeper into the shadows. _

"_Squall…" _

"_Leave, Selphie" _

"_Squall, please, you haven't been eating for days now. I know that Rinoa's death upsets you, and it upsets the rest of us too but…" _

"_Leave, Selphie!" The snarl would have normally scared many cadets, but Selphie wasn't afraid. Rather, she set the tray down on a table and stormed over to where Squall was hunched on his bed – just a short time ago it had been Rinoa's as well. One hand grabbed Squall's fur collar and shook him. _

"_No, you listen to me! I've had enough! You haven't been eating since her death and it's destroying you! If you're going to go commit suicide, at least do it when your affairs are settled! The Garden still needs you! Your friends still care for you! You, Squall, are the most selfish person in the world if you think you can grieve like this while still holding the headmaster position here! We offer you a break and you refuse, but all you do is mope around locked in your room, refusing to even come out to face the sun! What happened to the efficient Squall Leonhart that I knew?!" _

"_He's dead!" Squall flung her arms off him and stood up. He towered over her, and Selphie briefly thanked whatever heavenly sources out there that the dark room prevented her from seeing her Commander's angry face. "He failed her! Rinoa died and Squall wasn't there to save her! If it wasn't because I left her for my duties, she would never have died!" _

"_And that's an excuse for you to go moping around like this and slowly kill yourself?!" Selphie yelled back "in case you haven't forgotten, Squall, Rinoa isn't the only person who cared for you! The rest of us do as well! You're so centered in your own grief; you forget the rest of us! Open up your eyes! Save yourself from fading away now _**(1)**_! Do you realize the grief you're causing US as well?! You're making us deal double with your pain, don't you realize we are also people who will do anything for you?!" _

"_Anything?" Squall sneered "You ought to be more careful with your words; you don't know the lengths you will all have to go through!" _

"_Try me!" Selphie yelled "or do you want me to call Seifer up for you? You at least have some response when dealing with him!" _

"_Don't you dare bring him up!" Before Selphie could blink, she found herself slammed against the wall, one of Squall's hands around her throat. Since when did he become this fast? She choked, and then sneered. _

"_Well, you seem all fine and dandy whenever he's here, at least I can hear some yelling back and forth. Is he your ticket to a new life, Squall?" Judging by Squall's angry breathing, she had hit some nerve. Then, just as suddenly, a soft groan escaped his lips and Squall let her go as he suddenly dropped to the floor, face lowered and hands shaking. _

_Selphie blinked "Squall?" He didn't respond to her, his body was shaking. She knelt in front of him "Squall…" _

"_Leave!" Squall threw himself back, keeping his face lowered. "Leave, Selphie! Don't come back here ever again!" _

"_Oh, so now you're pushing me away again?!" Selphie's voice trembled with anger. She stormed forward and grabbed his collar again, this time with both hands. "Were you listening to a word I was saying you –" She never got to finish, words died in her throat as for the first time she saw Squall's face in the light. From underneath his upper lip, two white fangs gleamed up at her. Selphie's eyes widened and she made to move back, but Squall grabbed her again and slammed her down. _

"_You said you'll do anything for me, right?" Squall's body was still shaking, but his grip was strong…too strong for a normal human. "I haven't eaten for so long, partly because of Rinoa's death, and partly because I CAN'T eat human food anymore. I am no longer human, Selphie. Do you know something? When Rinoa was dying, I tried changing her too, but she refused. She'll choose death over eternity with me. At that decision, I couldn't bring myself to drink from her. But now I can't resist it…the hunger is killing me…I told you to leave Selphie…but you wouldn't listen…" _

_Selphie didn't say anything, even she knew fighting would be useless. When she felt teeth sink into her neck, she cringed, and gripped on Squall's shoulder. His body was cold, no longer warm, no longer living, but at her last moment she'll take any comfort. She smelled her own blood, felt a ribbon of it trickle down her throat, and she closed her eyes. Squall wasn't restraining himself, he was just drinking, and with this intimate contact of death Selphie's life flashed before her eyes. Her happiness and regrets plastered themselves over her eyes, and her grip tightened. Squall continued draining her life force out of her._

_Until there was a clatter of something being dropped to the floor. _

_Surprised, Squall looked up, withdrawing his fangs. Zell stood there in the door way, broken glass littering the floor in front of him. He was staring at Squall in pure horror. _

"_No…" The tattooed boy's voice cracked "No!" Before Squall could stop him, Zell stumbled back and made to turn and run, but someone else grabbed him. Zell was spun back to face Squall, his hands held to the side of his head as if in a surrender position by Seifer himself. The other scarred man was laughing. _

"_Finally, Squall! I was afraid you would soon die on me!" Seifer was smiling at the almost horrified look on Squall's face/ "Nice to know that you won't die yet! My blood would be wasted if I helped you, only to have you commit suicide." _

"_Help him?" Zell repeated, and realized what Seifer was saying "You turned him?!" _

"_No, I didn't" Seifer sneered at the other boy "He was dying, I offered him my blood, and he accepted eternal life with it. Because there was no exchange with his blood, your headmaster isn't even my fledging." Seifer turned his attention back at Squall "But shame on you, Squall, to drink from your own subordinate and' friend'. If you were going to drink, drink from those you won't miss. Now you'll be going through another grieving stage, as you watch another person you care for die. Unless, of course, you give her your blood" _

"_You sick bastard!" Zell yelled as he struggled harder, Seifer ignored him._

"_Can you live with the fact that you let another woman who cared for you die, Squall?" Zell could see Seifer was enjoying this, watching the conflict in Squall tear him apart, and time was running out, each second Squall pondered was a second closer to death f__or Selphie. Seifer's smirk turned crueler._

"_Or…d__o you wish to see how it's properly done?" _

_Zell knew what was going to happen, Seifer pulled him closer against his body and sank his teeth into Zell's neck. Like Selphie, Zell knew resistance was futile, but he tried anyways. He struggled to escape Seifer's grip and clawed at the cold vampire skin, with a sharp hiss Seifer temporally let him go. Zell stumbled forward, making a few steps, before collapsing to his knees. He looked at Selphie's eyes, which were turning blank, before turning up to Squall. _

"_You…murderer…" He was gasping, panting, but those words were laced with anger. Squall was watching him, expression carefully blank even as Zell finally fell to his side. He took in a few more breaths before he heard Seifer behind him. The scarred man bit his wrist, before holding it over Zell's lips. _

"_Life or death, chicken wuss? Darkness or venge…?"_

_Zell didn't know why, but even without his command his body chose life. He launched onto Seifer's hand and drank his blood almost greedily, like a child wanting more. Seifer pulled his hand back, drawing Zell closer to him like an obedient puppy. When he looked back, Zell would beat himself over it, but for that moment all that mattered was Seifer's blood. Seifer looked amused at Zell's antics, until it became obvious that Zell's thirst was unnaturally strong. _

"_Enough!" Seifer sharply drew his hand away, prompting Zell to make a noise resembling a small whine. The boy sniffed at the air, before nosing at Seifer's side. Seifer's smirk returned._

"_For a fledging, you are already hypersensitive to blood." From his side, Seifer drew out a small pack of blood. Zell yanked it away with his fangs, piercing through the bag, before lapping at the small stream that flowed out. Seifer ran his hand down Zell's hair, and the other boy let out something resembling a purr before continuing to satisfy his thirst. Once he was finished with the bag, Zell curled up to Seifer's side and licked at the blood drops on Seifer's face. _

_Watching them, Squall felt less guilty about giving Selphie his blood. The girl had no chance of struggling or refusing anyways. When her eyes cleared their earlier fog, she only sat up silently. The two of them watched Zell pass through his blood high, neither wanting to meet the other's eyes. _

_As it turns out, Selphie didn't outright reject the prospect of becoming a vampire like Rinoa had done. Nor did she seem to need persuading to get her to drink. She first started with blood donations and supplies, before slowly moving off to drinking from criminals or people the mercenaries were paid to kill. Zell didn't want to accept his fate at all, but his body was very intent on surviving, and he moved onto feeding off humans quickly. He would smile broadly before giving into the urge to feed, crying only when the deed was done. Selphie's body didn't adjust as quickly, and for a short while she was the one who finished off Zell's victims, for there were times when after draining their will to fight Zell tried to stop himself – not realizing that the person was already going to die either way. _

_Through their sudden transformation, Zell and Selphie grew closer and became great friends. They helped each other recover from the trauma quickly and it wasn't long before the two of them were back the way they were before their transformation. The two began to relate more to each other, playing pranks and teasing each other about potential relationships. Squall, watching them, realized Selphie and Zell were becoming independent of their masters quickly. Zell, too, soon made it obvious he was passing the fledging stage at a remarkable pace, and many vampires they soon met were impressed with his rapid growth, Riku being no exception. _

_When Seifer committed his betrayal, Zell played a key role in his downfall. Acting as the obedient fledging, the tattooed boy soon proved his amazing resistance to even his Master's commands through their bond. Looking back, even Squall and Riku had to admit, were it not for Zell's role, Seifer might not have dealt with so easily. _

_At the same time, the acknowledgment of this accomplishment shook the vampire world. The fact that a fledging could not only disobey his Master, but block their bond from sharing information without the Master's knowledge, stun__ned the supernatural community. In wake of events, many masters were forced to pay more attention to their fledglings, especially the ones turned unwillingly. Luckily or unluckily, no trace of such resistance proved possible among the other ranks, in fact Squall, now Leon, was sure that Sora was probably the only other Fledging to have been able to resist. This piece of news hasn't been leaked out yet, vampires not fitting the norm were not that tolerated, after all. _

_It made sense then that the Jenova Vampires were now in hiding. Too bad they chose to go trespass on Riku and his SEED forces' territory, going against them in the process._

Leon silently walked down the corridors, wondering where he could start looking for the Werewolf Head. Although it was supposed to be Tidus' job, he could tell the Medium was tired after all the mind probing he had to do. In a rare show of concern, he had offered to find Zexion himself instead, allowing a relieved Tidus to head home.

Apparently Zexion was not in his usual hangouts, and none of the werewolves appeared to know where he was. As he had told Tidus he would find the werewolf, Leon was supposed to spend some effort in looking for the silver-haired leader.

Yet, when he passed by the corridor leading to the Jenova Vampire's prison, he couldn't help it. Something in him clicked, something telling him to go see the other vampire who had potential to shake the vampire community again.

The door opened before he even touched it. It bounced lightly off the wall, creaking as it moved forward in slow motion. Leon walked into the room and stared. He could only see the spikes of blond hair in the glass coffin; he couldn't see the abnormal vampire's facial expression. The spikes were moving; the Jenova Vampire appeared to be shifting, as if trying to make himself comfortable. The discomfort, Leon knew, was not because of the coffin but of the lack of blood. It was obviously beginning to affect the blond, for the prisoner was no longer screaming at him.

Amazing endurance or no, in the end, lack of food would weaken even the strong.

In fact, the Jenova vampire said nothing even as Leon approached the glass. He walked around it, so that he could see his prisoner's face. The vampire was still in his human form, there were no fangs sprouting from his lips, and by all appearances he was an innocent and harmless human. The eyes were closed, but sensing Leon's presence they opened and glowing blue stared up at him. For a while neither of them said anything, until Leon summoned up a chair and sat down beside the coffin.

"Reaching your breaking point by now?" Leon smirked. "Want me to bring a human for you?"

"As wonderful as that may be, I wouldn't put it past you to have poisoned the victim's blood already. I'll prefer human food, as I can tell right away if there's poison in it." At Leon's raised eyebrow, the other vampire confirmed "Yes, unlike you normal vampires, I can consume human food."

"You are blood-sucking creature of the night too, and let's not forget you drain your victims completely. Don't act so high and mighty."

"That I can't help, we were made that way. At least we can limit our human prey by consuming normal food. As for being of a higher class, you are the ones who force the lower vampires to work while the elite laze about. In my clan, everyone works for their share, except our leader."

"In the end, our basis is still the same. Just because you treat each other more fairly doesn't mean you're better then us."

"Vampires can still be divided to good or bad; for you, being a vampire is just plain upsetting. I have no idea how to help you with that"

At that statement of fact, Leon stood up and ran a hand over the surface of the glass coffin "If you wish to survive this, keep silent." He slammed his hand on the glass surface, and Cloud flinched. Leon made to leave, but Cloud's next words stopped him.

"Looks like Aerith won't be disappointed in you after all" Leon stopped, and turned back to his prisoner. Seeing he had Leon's attention, Cloud continued "you don't want people calling you bad, which mean you don't want to be a bad vampire."

"Tell it to a wall"

"Well, you might be a vampire in a bad mood at the moment." The blonde's lips curled upwards, Leon couldn't tell if it was a smile or a smirk. As for being in a bad mood…well, Seifer returned, enough said. Cloud looked at his captor.

"Question, how old are you? I'm a hundred and two now, you?"

"A hundred and five"

"You're older then me? How long have you been a vampire?"

"None of your concern"

"Just tell me, it's not like its confidential information"

"Eighty"

"Looks like I have more experience then, I've been one for eighty-seven years. You may call me your senior now" **(2)**

Leon allowed an amused smirk to take over his features. This Jenova Vampire was certainly not a normal vampire, to be able to talk and joke even despite the situation. Sure, there was no humor in his voice, and the jokes were not the ha-ha type, but it made the atmosphere more relaxed. Strange, how this Jenova Vampire could make him almost lower his guard when most of Leon's fellow comrades have been failing to for years. To ponder on these ideas would not be a good idea though, so he turned away.

"Don't just leave yet. If you have any sad emotions you want to express, you can talk to your senior here."

Hearing those words, Leon moved back to the coffin. His gaze betrayed nothing as he spoke "How would you know I am unhappy?"

"Because coming here for so long, you didn't tell me any lies, nor did you tell me the truth. So I know you're unhappy."

Leon folded his arms on the glass coffin and stared down at the blonde, yet his words were empty "How is this any of your business?"

"There you go again; not wanting to tell lies yet unwilling to speak the truth. Is it because after being a vampire, you've been unhappy?"

"You speak as if you and your leader can be vampires who are happy."

"If others won't let us be happy humans, we'll be happy vampires."

"I don't need you to teach me how to live my life"

"Don't say teaching, this is just a little heart to heart thing. When I'm unhappy, Aerith will tell me those words." The blonde stared almost innocently up at Leon, unintentionally reminding the commander of Zell. Remembering that this Jenova Vampire had fought Zell before, it made the idea strangely funny. "Don't you have anyone to talk to? Those people you were with when you caught me, aren't they your friends? To quote Aerith, if there are people, try to build good relationships with them. It makes life more bearable. It's a pity you can't talk with my leader, you'll either be fighting to talk or not say a thing at all."

"Don't think that just because you can befriend me, I'll let you go"

"I never thought you will. I just think in this world, few vampires are up to our level of respect, if Aerith was here, she'll say we should listen to each other. Everybody will be happier that way."

"Someday, you two won't think that"

"They can't break what's inside **(3)**, Commander, remember that."

"No, but we can utterly destroy it so that there would be no inside." Leon turned to leave again, and Cloud called out his parting words.

"If you have time, you can come down and talk to me."

Leon turned back to him, but changed the subject "You and I both know that my presence could be to send you to death."

"So stay with me now that I'm facing my last solemn hour **(4)**" The almost accepting way Cloud said those words made something tug in Leon's cold heart. The request, too, surprised him. Leon wasn't a stranger to the fact that when people died, many wanted to have someone with them. The idea that Cloud wouldn't mind where the 'other person' was from made him remember despite his vampiric nature, despite _both_ their natures, he could still feel like a _human_.

Of course, the Jenova Vampire might be just trying to lure him into lowering his guard. Leon knew if he stayed with his prisoner any longer, the success of that might become better then he was comfortable with, so instead he changed the subject.

"I'll bring some fitting food for you the next time I come."

"Thank you, I did say Aerith would not be disappointed in you." Leon gave no reply, he simply left the room and closed the door. Once alone, Cloud gave the coffin a small kick.

_Sephiroth…when will you come help me? Despite what I say, I don't trust them, but I can't resist my hunger either_.

Leon, in the meantime, walked out of the skyscraper and into Traverse Town's streets. His eyes examined the people he passed, but he couldn't find the Werewolf Head at all. He wandered about, keeping in touch with the vampires at the skyscraper to make sure he knew whether Zexion had returned or not. Before he knew it, he found himself in the poorer streets of the city. He walked on, keeping an eye on anyone who came into this vision.

From above, a potted plant fell. His vampire reflexes kicked in as one hand quickly shot out and grabbed the plant. He was about to put it aside on the floor, when he noticed that the plant had a message attached. A message in the form of the plant being soaked in what was very obviously werewolf blood, and there were strands of silver hair tied around the stem. Judging by smell and appearance alone, it was Zexion's.

"You received the message?" A deep voice spoke. Leon's head shot up, from above, his face covered in shadow, stood a tall man. He was standing on the _edge of the balcony_; no doubt this person wasn't a human. He was well built, and dressed in dark leather. The man's hair was short, but very obviously silver.

He may not be the leader they were looking for, but Leon quickly realized that he was dealing with a hostile supernatural element.

"Well, then, I suppose you know what I'm trying to prove to you." Despite the shadows, Leon glimpsed a human mouth smirking with too much teeth, teeth that changed to fangs. This only confirmed to Leon what he was dealing with. Normal vampires like him had their vampiric fangs on as part of themselves, but Jenova Vampires could morph their fangs into human teeth, effectively disguising themselves as mortals.

"Who are you?" Leon tried to ask.

"Who I am makes no difference" Leon didn't even blink, but one moment the Jenova Vampire was there on the balcony, the next he was at the street where Leon was, walking away with his back towards the Vampire Commander. "You already know what group I belong to, don't you?" Leon took off after him in a quick trot.

"Jenova"

"To know that name, you must have used your Medium." Disappear, reappear at a rooftop.

"How do you know it wasn't your associate who told us?" Jump, land on the rooftop.

"Because unless he remembers the Forbidden, he has no reason to betray us" Walk, back still to the commander, identity unrevealed.

"Are you responsible for our Werewolf Head's disappearance?" Follow; try to keep up without breaking into a run.

"If only he was just that, no, no, no, he's no normal werewolf. He's probably more then we can handle. Had we known what he was sooner, we would have reconsidered capturing him." Chuckle, disappear, reappear at another building's rooftop.

"For you to capture him so quickly, how did you do it?" Appear, walk forward, body tense.

"That's for us to know, and you to find out" More chuckling, disappear, reappear on a parking lot and blend into the cars.

"How long have you been keeping him prisoner?" Jump down to parking lot, follow the laughing shadow.

"Quite a while in fact, we planned for it even before you captured Brother" Turn a corner, disappear around it.

"What do you want?!" Leon ran and turned the corner, only to be greeted with emptiness. Something else was flung at him, and once again he caught it. It was a ticket…to Traverse Town museum.

"You probably already know this, but there's a rather worrisome stone arriving, donated by a rather suspicious patron after a request from the Guado." Leon looked up to see the shadow of the man talking to him through the window of a rather large car. The shadow spread out his hands "Wait for a call then, and we'll see how you will act. If you prove yourself trustworthy, we will discuss the conditions for a prisoner exchange."

"A prisoner exchange" Leon repeated "You want to exchange Zexion for Cloud."

"Please don't call brother that, it implies familiarity, something which would be frowned upon as much as if you had gone for a mortal without changing them." There was another deep chuckle. "I don't think I have to tell you that it would be a bad idea to tell anyone of this conversation until _after_ the task. Be good, _Squall Leonhart_, you've made enough personal mistakes in your life, don't start with business ones as well. Or very soon you'll be embraced on the other side **(5)**."

And just like that, the shadow disappeared completely; there was a silence as Leon realized that the man had truly disappeared. He just…wasn't there anymore.

Leon looked at the ticket, so the Jenova Vampires were also concerned about the stone that Seifer had mentioned. Did this imply weakness? He didn't have much hope for that. For all he knew, the stone was probably just a test for him, to see how he would act. The Undefined Vampires were also aware of something the rest of them didn't know – the stone was donated under the request of the Guado. Well, maybe Seifer did know, and it was one of those things he reserved for Riku's ears.

The Undefined Vampires seemed to know a lot about Riku's forces. Hell, they even know that _name_.

He looked at the ticket. It was the opening date. Those Jenova Vampires certainly weren't wasting time.

At the mansion of said vampires, Sephiroth leaned back against the chair he was sitting on. Zack had an arm around Aerith, and they were both sitting on a couch. Kadaj sat on the floor, while nearby Yazoo remained standing by a counter as he polished a gun. The malicious smile had left his face, but Kadaj could see traces of it still lingered on his brother. Shortly after Zell had left them, Kadaj had dragged Yazoo away from the filming site. The silver haired Jenova Vampire had really been interested in watching the former slayer play vampire. Kadaj wasn't as interested, and knew better then to let his brother stay and get himself seen by the redhead. Once that happened, there was a very good chance there would be a fight right in front of the humans, and Sephiroth had told them before not to reveal their identities when they first arrived to Traverse Town.

The door opened and Loz walked in. "The Vampire Commander has received our message."

"I trust you didn't show any hint of your identity to them?" Sephiroth asked.

"Of course not" Loz answered.

"Good" The leader of the Jenova Vampires was understandably angry. Finding out that Cloud had been taken by the Traverse Town Vampires was a certainly a cause for concern. While none of them doubted Cloud's loyalty, they were very wary of the Medium, whose allegiance went to Riku. What was more, they all knew what might happen if Cloud was left alone too long. It was best for all of them if Cloud remained on Sephiroth's side, because there was a chance that without the presence of another Jenova Child, he might start to remember his past. At least they can take comfort in that his memories alone would not mean betrayal.

No, Zack's and Aerith's existence made sure of that. As long as those two were here, Cloud wouldn't try anything drastic.

This was where Zack's proposal came in. Sephiroth had decided that there was be a prisoner exchange, and it would happen preferably quickly. The sooner Cloud was back among them, the better. Since it was _Zexion_ they had caught, Riku's vampires would most likely follow their conditions.

While they were at it, they might as well see whether or not they can get rid of that stone as well. The Jenova Vampires knew enough of the stone to be worried about its presence here. So to kill two birds with one stone, why not send one of Riku's most powerful vampires to deal with the problem?

"Knowing the Vampire Commander, even if he doesn't tell the whole SEED force, he still might tell someone. We will have to be more indirect about what we need him to do." Sephiroth turned to the other two Stigma brothers "How is the stone?"

"We went out earlier with one of Riku's vampires under the guise of simply passing by." Yazoo began.

"From what we heard, the stone's already arrived; they're setting it up now, under surveillance of several Guado" Kadaj finished.

"Zack, turn on the television." The dark-haired man obeyed, picking up the remote and switching the huge screen on. They were in the right channel, for there in the screen were several Guado and a large dark rock, pulsing with faint purple electricity.

In another mansion, Tidus returned to his home to see the grim faces of Wakka and the YRP group. They didn't say anything to him. Wakka only led him to the television and pointed at the screen, where the same rock was shown. A reporter's voice was talking.

"…_this is one of the most sacred treasures the museum has ever had the honour of holding, the stone is well known for its legends of exorcising demons and other evil, supernatural spirits_…"

Tidus' eyes widened. He stared at the screen, and turned to the YRP group, the three girls looked grim.

"That's…"

"It's the right stone, alright" Rikku grimaced.

"As much as I'll like it to be otherwise, I'll recognize the stone anywhere" Yuna confirmed.

Tidus looked at Wakka. The redhead's fists were clenched tightly; his eyes looked torn between anger and fear. It was an expression Tidus hadn't seen for years, and it spelled disaster for the rest of them. Tidus looked back at the screen, proudly displaying the stone, and felt his throat constrict. He forced himself to talk.

"An exiled vampire came back to Riku today, warning us of a dangerous stone sent by a dubious source. I didn't think it was as dangerous as this…"

"Well, this is definitely bad, especially to us" Paine added. "How much did the exiled vampire know?"

"I didn't hear his full explanation about his knowledge, but I don't think he knows about our…role in the stone."

"Are you sure of that?"

"If he was aware of it, knowing his personality, he would have thrown a few veiled insults or mockery in my way. No, I don't think the vampire knew of the history of the stone, just its potential."

"Does Riku know of this?"

"The stone?"

"No, our role in the stone"

"Well…"

"Tidus, don't beat around the bush! We _created_ this stone; we were the ones who hid it! We need to know exactly how much Riku knows! Did you ever tell him what you did?"

"Yes" Tidus nodded "I told him, that was why he took me in. Because I tried to do what I have done, and it nearly killed me." Tidus looked at the rest of them "I'm still aware, to this day, that were it not for the rest of you I might have died. To this day, I regret it **(6)**. Riku doesn't know in detail what your roles are though; he just knows you were all involved."

"Is that so…" Yuna ran a hand through her hair "I don't know whether that will turn to our favor or not, but as of the moment, keep the information quiet. That information, however, isn't the main problem."

"We have to destroy the stone" Rikku clarified "But by ourselves, we can't do it, we're not powerful enough."

"At the same time, we can't ask for Riku's help. Telling him that would have him asking us for more information" Paine pointed out. Wakka groaned.

"In other words, we have to try it ourselves? As we all know and stated, we're not powerful enough! Otherwise we would've destroyed it from the very beginning!"

"We weren't powerful enough back then, but we can try again!" Rikku shouted.

"And how do you expect us to do that?! It's right in the museum! And you heard the reporter earlier! There are Guado guards keeping the stone guarded!" Wakka shot back.

"As if that would stop _you_! You were the one that started fighting back when we were at Guadosalam!"

"I unintentionally got involved with the mercenaries, it wasn't intentional!"

"Well, you certainly had no qualms about killing several Guado units!" Paine countered.

They were fighting, and it was pretty serious. His abilities as a Medium allowed Tidus to feel their emotions. They were angry, but frightened as well. They remembered what happened with the stone, and it still affected them deeply. Tidus raised his hands, trying to stop the quarrel, but they were no longer paying attention to him. His four friends were all shouting, and their fiery feelings overwhelmed him, drowned his soul, and he felt like choking at the onslaught.

"ENOUGH!!" He roared, and his voice effectively spread over the room and silenced his friends. They stared at him, taken aback at his sudden and uncalled for fury, before remembering what they were doing. Wakka swore.

"Shit! I'm sorry, man! Are you alright? Did our anger-?"

"Yes" Tidus answered, voice barely a whisper. He closed his eyes, and reached up to massage his forehead; at least his yell had effectively doused the flames of his friends' anger. Now they felt quieted and slightly shamed, more passive emotions in comparison to earlier. He opened his eyes again, making a point of avoiding his friends'. "I need to sleep; Riku's kept me up with poking into several vampires' and a werewolf's minds enough. I don't need to feel your wraths as well" The others didn't stop him, though Wakka made to move to his side. Tidus gripped on the other Blitzball player's hand as he was lead to his room. He didn't need the help, but it made him glad that there was someone who would always help him even after he yelled at them.

He took a quick shower and changed. Once he stepped out, Wakka wordlessly handed him a glass of water and a sleeping pill. The blonde thanked him with a grateful nod before heading to his bed. After he swallowed the pill, he fell into his dreams, but while his body rested his mind kept him up.

He found himself in a familiar room, surrounded by beautiful decorations and lights. He sat down, and the other person in the room surveyed him with an almost pleased expression.

"I didn't think you'll actually come into my dreams" He smiled, Tidus shrugged.

"I didn't think I would, either, but for the sake of treaties I should pay my respects. Speaking of that," Tidus eyes' narrowed "why are you letting the Stone into Traverse Town? Exactly what are you plotting?"

"Now, now, no need to be so suspicious" The other continued to smile "I'm just…curious about the full extent of the stone's legendary power. It is something that should be displayed to the whole world."

Tidus said nothing, he understood Seymour Guado's words. Seymour wanted to display the power of the stone to the whole world by testing its powers, potentially starting with Riku's forces. The Maester would never admit it either; he would probably orchestrate the attack and make it seem as if everything was an accident or something along those lines to keep himself blameless. Tidus felt the other man's barely-contained excitement brush over him, and his own body grew cold.

He knew he couldn't do anything, not in this dream, and not in reality, for politics and Riku forbid him. Not only that, but Seymour already suspected him as being responsible for Guadosalam's latest tragedy. Strangely, the Maester had kept silent about the issue.

It made Tidus uneasy, and even more wary of the political manipulations Seymour was planning against Riku and the vampires. The Maester had already moved in, announced himself to Riku, literally purchased Sunset Street, almost had Riku's fledging killed, and was now bringing in a stone that could destroy the vampires. What was he planning next?

How Tidus wished, at its creation, that they had been strong enough to destroy the Yu Yevon Stone.

**(1) "Open** **up your eyes / Save yourself from fading away now" came from the song Heart of Everything by Within Temptation. It's one of the most awe-inspiring songs I've heard  
(2) ****Leon and Cloud were 25 and 22 in the game; I changed it to 105 and 102. Assuming Leon was turned at that age, 105-25 is 80, so Leon's been a vampire for 80 years. Cloud became part of Hojo's experiments at 15, so 102-15 is 87, but at that time his body was not truly 'adjusted' to Jenova so his vampire traits were non-existent. It isn't till the Sleeping Forest memory does Cloud become a true Jenova Vampire, not aging and stronger.  
(3) **"**They can't break what's inside" also from Heart of Everything  
(4) **"**Stay with me now / I am facing my last solemn hour" originally missing the 'That'  
(5) ****Actually "Very soon I'll embrace you on the other side", but that wouldn't fit would it?  
(6) ****This is the beginning of an answer to the question in Chapter Six **_**Supposedly Honest Answers**_**, exactly what did Riku meant when he said Tidus tried something he regrets to this very day? **

**If you want to hear the song, simply go check it out on youtube. For me, I listened to a fan video someone made of the Harry Potter movies, that was how I fell in love with the song: ****http://www**** DOT youtube DOT com SLASH watch?vv4JJ-fxeV44**

**I crammed in today's promotion. First scene with Martin and Karen from Guadosalam, it was based on a scene in the 2****nd**** volume of Godchild. Really nice art, the manga, but it was never made into an anime so it's not that popular. **

**Chapter Twenty Promotion Anime: Godchild**


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